Ahmad Zahid should be the one to resign from the federal cabinet, not Loke, for questiong government policies, says DAP senator

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 2026: Senator Sheik Umar Bagharib Ali, a central executive committee (CEC) member of the national DAP, said that it should be Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, not Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, resign from the federal Cabinet.

Caption: A DAP senator and CEC member accuses Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of embarrassing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

He said Ahmad Zahid had embarrassed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Umnno general, even though he himself is the deputy prime minister.

"He questioned government policies, such as Budi95, despite being part of the same cabinet. He was a party to those decisions," Sheikh Umar Bagharib said in a statement posted on DAP facebook  when commenting on Loke's resignation as the transport minister and from the federal Cabinet.

"At a time when many nations around the world respect Anwar's leadership, Zahid belittled and mocked him," he stressed.

He fumed that in his opinion, Zahid should be the one to resign, not Loke.

"Alternatively, Anwar could dismiss Zahid and replace him with another UMNO leader, perhaps Khaled Nordin or Johari Abdul Ghani.

"They are more committed to upholding the good name of the government and the country," he said, adding that the appointment and sacking of a federal minister is Anwar's prerogative.

He said Anwar has the power to do so.

After a DAP CEC meeting yesterday, Loke announced his resignation from the federal Cabinet to express his party's view on the conditional pardon of former Prime Minister Najib Razak and be placed under house arrest.

Najib was jailed to 12 years in 2020 and fined RM210 million upon conviction  in the SRC International corruption case. 

After failing hi final appeal in the Federal Court, he began his prison sentence at Kajang Prison in August 2022.

Following a review by the Federal Territories Pardons Board in early 2024, hie prison term was subsequently halved to six years and his original RM210 million fine reduced to RM50 million.

State education ministry reaching out to rural students to have access to information on higher education, skills training

SEBAUH, Sept 20 2026: The state Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development is reaching out to rural students to have access to information on higher education, skills training and career pathway.

Caption: Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn waving to teachers and  students on arrival at SMK Sebauh

Its minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said direct exposure is important to ensure students, particularly in rural areas, know and understand the educational opportunities provided by the state government.

"There are still high-potential students who are unaware of the education opportunities available, making it essential to deliver information directly to students.

"Sometimes there are students who are very bright and among the best in Sarawak, but they don't know about information to higher education, skills training and career pathway

"So, I want students to understand the opportunities available and make choices based on accurate information," he said at the ministry's Outreach Programme 2026 at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sebauh yesterday.

Sagah said among the key opportunities students need to understand is the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), including its eligibility requirements and the fields of study offered.

Such exposure, he explained, enables students to plan their education based on choices suited to their qualifications, interests and career direction.

Besides higher education opportunities, the state government also provides various forms of educational assistance to help ease financial barriers that students and families may face.

He said location and family background should not be obstacles preventing students from knowing about and benefiting from available education opportunities.

Meanwhile, educational achievement in Sebauh also showed positive progress, with the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) pass rate rising from 93.88 per cent in 2024 to 94.89 per cent in 2025.

According to Dato Sri Roland Sagah, the improvement reflects the commitment of schools, students, parents and the community in strengthening educational performance in the area.

Fans organising dinner to celebrate Liverpool Supporters Club of Sarawak's first anniversary

KUCHING, Sept 20 2026: The Liverpool Supporters Club of Sarawak (KPLK) marked its first anniversary with about 230 Sarawak Reds gathering at a dinner here last night, with guest of honour Bukit Semuja State Legislative Member (SLM) John Ilus pledging RM5,000 to support the club. 

Caption: Bukit Semuja SLM John Ilus cutting the cake to mark the first anniversary of the club

John, who is a Liverpool supporter for many years, said he was honoured to join the celebration and hoped the gathering would continue in the years ahead. 

“I feel very honoured to be able to be with all of you in this gathering,” John said when officiating the KPLK first anniversary dinner at a hotel. 

John, who is a ong-standing interest in Liverpool dating back to the 1980s, congratulated KPLK on its first anniversary and expressed hope that the club would continue bringing supporters together. 

“As a small contribution to the club, I would like to contribute RM5,000,” he said, drawing applause from the Reds supporters. 

He subsequently officially inaugurated the club’s first anniversary dinner for 2026. 

In his welcoming speech KPLK president Mohd Asmil Abdullah said the dinner, which brought together supporters from across Sarawak, said the club was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia (RoS) on Sept 18 last year, now had 125 registered members from across Sarawak, including Lundu, Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Limbang and Lawas. 

He said the club was established to provide an organised platform for Liverpool supporters throughout Sarawak while promoting sportsmanship, fellowship as well as community and welfare activities. 

Mohd Asmil said KPLK also organised live match-viewing sessions and other activities to strengthen ties among supporters. 

Liverpool supporters across Sarawak wishing to join KPLK can register through its membership Google Form or by scanning the QR code provided by the club. 

They can also follow the club’s official Facebook, TikTok and Instagram accounts by searching for Liverpool Supporters Club of Sarawak (KPLK) for updates on its activities. 

The club secretary Dennis Steven Nanyi said there are numerous informal supporter groups across Sarawak. 

"However we felt that one element was missing - a proper platform with transparency and integrity, where activities are organised in accordance with the law,” he added. 

“Even the money that comes into the club belongs to the club, not to individuals,” Dennis said

The club is also supported by Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusuf, also Petra Jaya MP, who recently donated RM5,000 as well as state Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Roland Sagah who donated RM2,000, to part finance the dinner. Both are Liverpool fans.

Sarawak among states given attention in efforts to increase birth rate, says minister

KUCHING: The federal Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has proposed fertility-related programmes under the National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) to help boost the country's Total Fertility Rate (TFR).

Caption: Minister Nancy Shukri says that a study on fertility rates has also been conducted to identify factors influencing the birth rate, but the findings would be shared at an appropriate time.

The minister Nancy Shukri said Sarawak and Penang are among the states that need attention in efforts to increase the birth rate, including through programmes that help couples facing difficulties conceiving.

"Yes, there are indeed programmes under the board. The budget for that is placed under the board, and there are indeed several programmes we want to carry out. Actually, we have already implemented it, but we want to focus on it next year so that we can encourage more people, especially among young people, to have more children," she told reporters after attending the launch of PERANTIS-PENDAYA 2.0: Empowering Dayak Women Entrepreneurs for Leadership, Scale and Sustainability, at Dayak Chamber Tower today.

She said the effort also takes into account the economic factors faced by young couples, and that this aspect would also be addressed by the government through the relevant ministry.

She said a study on fertility rates has also been conducted to identify factors influencing the birth rate, but the findings would be shared at an appropriate time.

Nancy said her ministry will be proposing an increase in allocation for next year to meet the needs of target groups and expand efforts to boost the country's fertility rate.

She said the ministry's proposed budget focuses on economic equity, women, persons with disabilities (OKU), senior citizens and welfare aid recipients.

She said the ministry's budget is expected to increase due to a rise in the number of welfare recipients, besides taking into account the needs of programme implementation, construction and maintenance work.

She said the budget allocation proposed by the ministry is still subject to approval, with the final amount depending on the government's decision.
Also present were President of the Women Empowerment and Sustainability Network Association (WESNA) Kuching, Dr Carolina Sandra Giang, and Vice President of WESNA Kuching, Dr Florince Christy. 

NGOs want immediate and full disclosure of all documents in Najib's conditional pardon

KUCHING, Sept 19 2026: A coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) called for an immediate and full disclosure of all documents in former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ‘conditional pardon’ yesterday, in which he is allowed to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence at home after paying the reduced fine of RM50 million, including the Attorney-General’s written submission, and the pardon board’s meeting minutes. 

Caption: The coalition of NGOs says that former Prime Minister Najib Razak's past contributions are not a licence to steal or escape punishment

They said good decisions can withstand public scrutiny and need no protection of confidentiality. 

"The Malaysian public deserves to understand the reasoning behind Najib’s pardon," they said in a statement. 

They said that Najib's past contributions are not a license to steal or to escape punishment.

They said Najib’s crime against the Malaysian people and adamant refusal to accept his punishment underlines a deep malaise amidst Malaysians, saying that a growing new norm that excuses or even embraces wrongs against public interests, to the extent wrongdoers see themselves as victims of political persecution and know no shame (tak tahu malu).

"Building a society that ‘knows shame’ requires us to put to rest toxic partisanship, often fueled by weaponised identity politics, and build a cross-party consensus towards fairness and decency," they said, adding that "we must humbly recognise and own up the failure of our political system in enabling Najib’s impunity as our collective responsibility. 

"We must be firm yet prudent in combating corruption, power abuse and mistreatment of opposition, making sure our attacks on corruption do not get weaponised in identity politics. We must demand for the separation of Attorney-General (AG) and Public Prosecutor (PP) and the passage of the enabling act to be completed before the 16th General Election (GE16)," they said.

They stressed that Najib’s pardon casts a shadow on public perception of the rule of law, not only because he never fully admits his guilt in the SRC (corruption) case but has instead repeatedly framed himself as a victim of political prosecution, but also because he has an outstanding case in 1MDB Tanore, for which he was convicted to a sentence of 15 years in jail and RM 11.38 billion in fines, and his appeal is still underway. 

"On top of that, he has two more cases, SRC2 (money laundering) and IPIC, in which he has only been given a Discharge Not Amounting to Acquittal (DNAA) order and may be re-charged. 

"The amounts involved in all these four cases total RM 8.989 billion — equivalent to roughly 250,000 years of a RM 3,000 monthly salary," the coalition stressed. 

They said Najib’s home-detention raises a fundamental question: if Najib’s conviction for 1MDB Tanore is upheld by the Federal Court, would he be realistically sent back to jail? 

"Or, is he expected to get another pardon to stay out of jail, which risks making the judicial process a mockery?" they asked.

They said Najib’s unsettled case makes his pardon distinctively different from that of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who did not have an outstanding case at the time of his pardon in 2018.

THey pointed out that in a parliamentary democracy, laws are made only by the Parliament, and with derived power from constitution and laws, by the Executive. 

"There is currently no law providing for home detention/arrest by way of pardon. Article 42(1)&(2) of the Federal Constitution empowers the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (for Federal Territories) and the Ruler/Governor (for the States) to “grant pardons, reprieves and respites” and to exercise “any power conferred by Federal or State law to remit, suspend or commute sentences," they said, adding that Section 43 of the Prisons Act 1995 only allows for the release of any prisoner “on licence,” subject to “any regulation made by the minister”. 


They said justice must not only be done but also be seen as done, stating that failure to convince that laws are equally applied, regardless of status, power or any political or demographic category, destroys public faith in the rule of law, breeds cynicism and endangers democracy.

"Dua darjat" (double standards in enforcement of laws) can destroy Malaysia by granting impunity to privileged criminals and demoralising the law-abiding masses. 

"Hence, important public decisions must be made transparent for the citizenry to understand reasons employed in such decisions," the NGOs said.

The NGOs are Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA) 2. Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) 3. Engage (citizens in action) 4. Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia 5. Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) 6. Iman Research 7. Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) 8. Lawyer Kamek 9. Liga Rakyat Demokratik 10. Muslim Professional Forum (MPF) 11. Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (PPDM/ROSE) 12. Pertubuhan Ikram 13. Rasuah Busters 14. Suara Mahasiswa UMS