Malaysia Morning News For December 19, 2019

Mahathir says Malaysia on board for KL-Singapore HSR project, but mulling slower train speeds
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday (Dec 17) that Malaysia is on board for the postponed Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, but the speed of the trains might be adjusted to cut costs.
— CNA

Dr M invites Sarawak, Sabah to explore idea of owning stakes in Petronas
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants Sarawak and Sabah to consider Petronas’ position as a global oil company when studying the proposal to own stakes in the company.
— Malay Mail

Vitamin drips: Malaysian clinic highlights sports, addiction and jet lag benefits
One of the latest celebrity trends sweeping wealthy, beautiful people involves a novel approach to taking vitamins and supplements, but a Malaysian clinic is also touting the benefits for more down-to-earth consumers.
— Nutraingredients

Stakes in Petronas a chance for Sarawak, Sabah to own global-class shares: Tun M
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants Sarawak and Sabah to consider Petronas’ position as a global oil company when studying the proposal to own stakes in the company.
— The Sun Daily

World Bank economist: Malaysia needs policy review to address disconnect between ‘impressive’ growth with consumers’ reality
Malaysia must craft balanced policies to address the disconnect between the country’s apparent economic growth and chronic complaints of rising costs from Malaysians, said the World Bank’s lead economist here.
— Malay Mail

Court grants temporary return of Shafee’s passport
The High Court here today approved an application by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah for the temporary return of his passport to enable him travel to Perth, Australia to attend to work.
— Malay Mail

Customs seizes gambling machine declared as ‘furniture’ inside shipping container at Senari Port
The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) has seized a gambling machine worth RM20,000 with an estimated tax of RM8,000 that was declared as ‘furniture’ inside a shipping container at Senari Port on December 12.
— The Borneo Post

‘Neutral’ Pakistan pulls out of Malaysia summit of Muslim nations
Pakistan’s Gulf allies, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, had expressed reservations over Islamabad joining the summit.
— Aljazeera

Parents of girl found in Malaysia jungle say case has ‘criminal element’
The parents of a Franco-Irish teenager whose body was found in the Malaysian jungle said they believe there was a “criminal element” to her disappearance, which police classified as a missing-person case.
— The Star Online

Najib, Irwan’s RM6.6b CBT trial dates vacated to give way to SRC trial
The trial of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who are facing six charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) of RM6.6 billion in government funds, originally scheduled for Jan 6 next year, has been vacated to give way to the SRC International Sdn Bhd trial.
— The Sun Daily

Saudi Arabia slams KL Summit, saying it’s a wrong forum to address Muslim issues
Leaders and senior representatives from some 20 Muslim nations flocked to the Kuala Lumpur today to discuss issues agitating Muslims globally at a summit Saudi Arabia decided to snub, and Pakistan ducked out of attending.
— The Sun Daily

Sabah values McDonald’s efforts to give back to society – CM
The Sabah government values the efforts of fast food giant McDonald’s Malaysia to give back to society, particularly residents in the state, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal yesterday.
— The Borneo Post

Dialysis subsidy recipients up by 37.27%
The number of haemodialysis subsidy recipients receiving treatment at 125 dialysis centres, run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and overseen by the Health Ministry, increased by 37.27% this year from the figure in 2017.
— The Sun Daily

Govt needs to renew commitment to bring down food prices: Daim
Economic Advisor to the Government Tun Daim Zainuddin (pix) hopes to see a renewed commitment by the government in bringing down food prices next year.
— The Sun Daily

RM254,112.24 from Sabah Umno liaison committee forfeited to govt
A sum of RM254,112.24 that was frozen from the bank accounts of Sabah Umno Liaison Committee (Umno Sabah) for being allegedly linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds, has become the property of the Malaysian government.
— The Sun Daily

Jan 13 hearing of suit filed by Malaysian govt against NFC
The High Court here today set five days from Jan 13 next year to hear the suit filed by the Malaysian government seeking RM253.6 million, which was loaned to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) and managed by the husband and three children of former women, family and community development minister Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
— The Sun Daily

M’sian business leaders struggling with tech change
Most of the business leaders in Malaysia believe their businesses have been disrupted by technology rather than them being the disruptors, according to a survey by global law firm Baker McKenzie.
— New Sarawak Tribune

No evidence of civil servants sabotaging government: Public Services DG
There is no evidence of a deep state or dissatisfaction among civil servants that has led to the allegations of them sabotaging government administration.
— The Sun Daily

Wan Junaidi: One constitutional amendment can’t restore Sarawak, Sabah’s equal partner status in Malaysia
Amending an article in the Federal Constitution will not make Sarawak and Sabah equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia, said Santubong MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
— The Borneo Post

Ex-MCMC deputy director to be charged over RM250,000 bribes
A former Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy director is expected to be charged with corruption at the sessions court here tomorrow morning.
— The Sun Daily

LZS aims to draw Muslim U Mobile users to pay zakat via GoPayz
Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) aims to attract 1.2 million Muslim U Mobile subscribers in Selangor to pay their zakat (tithe) by using GoPayz, U Mobile’s universal e-wallet.
— The Sun Daily

M’sian High Commissioner to Brunei Ismail Salam dies Wednesday (Dec 18)
The Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei, Ismail Salam, died Wednesday morning after losing consciousness at his residence in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
— The Star Online

Sarawakians able to view rare solar eclipse in Serian on Dec 26
Sarawakians will be able to enjoy an extra special Boxing Day this year as they will be able to view the rare annular solar eclipse event in Serian.
— The Borneo Post

Outstanding Malaysians of the decade: Ambiga, Maria made change possible
WHEN Pakatan Harapan took over Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional in the 14th general election in 2018, one organisation that helped make this possible was electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0.
— The Sun Daily

Pharmaniaga’s contract extended to ensure smooth transition: Dr Lee
Pharmaniaga Logistic Sdn Bhd’s (Pharmaniaga) pharmaceutical and medical equipment concession contract with the Ministry of Health (MOH), which ended on Nov 30, has been extended for another 25 months to ensure smooth transition to the new company.
— The Sun Daily

Fixed broadband rates in Malaysia among cheapest in region: E-commerce firm
Malaysia is moving in the right direction in offering affordable fixed-broadband connectivity.
— The Sun Daily

Putrajaya will continue to increase allocations for Chinese independent schools in Sarawak, says Dr Yii (Video)
The federal government will continue to increase allocations for Chinese independent schools in Sarawak each year despite protests from the opposition, said Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
— The Borneo Post

Kit Siang suggests lawyers meet over fresh probe into Altantuya’s murder
Lawyers of all parties with vested interest in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu should meet to consider a reinvestigation of the case, Lim Kit Siang (pix) said today.
— The Sun Daily

Health Ministry seized products worth RM142m in raids over past three years, says D-G
The Health Ministry (MoH) through the Pharmaceutical Enforcement Division has conducted 4,169 raids for the past three years against licensed pharmacy premises, private clinics and other premises found to have violated.
— Malay Mail

LTTE: Court disallows bail applications of two assemblymen and CEO
The sessions court here today disallowed the bail applications of two assemblymen and a CEO who were charged last month with supporting the terrorist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia, China are close friends who share a long history, says Daim
Tun Abdul Daim Zainuddin said Malaysia and China share a long and prosperous history.
— Malay Mail

Court allows temporary release of Muhammad Shafee’s passport
The High Court here today approved an application by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (pix) for the temporary return of his passport to enable him travel to Perth, Australia to attend to work matters.
— The Sun Daily

Guan Eng: New Bandar Malaysia terms see country gain over RM4b in profit
Renegotiation of the previously-stalled Bandar Malaysia development project’s terms has resulted in Malaysia netting over RM4 billion in profit, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
— Malay Mail

TIN Media launches independent B2B travel portal
Travel Industry Network (TIN) Media has launched the country’s first independent B2B travel portal, Tin.media, to promote tourism, particularly in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2020.
— New Sarawak Tribune

PNB declares lowest ever dividend
Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), the wholly owned unit trust company of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), has announced its distribution payout of 5.5 sen per unit for its flagship fund Amanah Saham Bumiputera for FY2019, the lowest in history.
— The Sun Daily

Here are some reasons why Malaysians get into road accidents
One in four Malaysians do not know what to do after getting involved in an accident, a recent survey revealed.
— The Sun Daily

67% of vacancies are for menial jobs
The highest number of job vacancies in the country are for elementary occupations, according to JobsMalaysia, an online job-matching system provided by the Human Resources Ministry.
— The Sun Daily

Bursa Malaysia opens higher on positive sentiment
Bursa Malaysia opened higher today, backed by positive sentiments following the revival of the Bandar Malaysia project that was solidified yesterday, and tracking the uptrend in the United States (US) stock markets.
— The Sun Daily

Studying in an international school does not make a Malaysian less Malaysian, say parents and experts
The fact that more local than foreign students populate international schools in Malaysia is not news.
— Malay Mail

Feature photo Akademi Bahasa Arab di Kuantan

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on Arabic Language Day, December 18.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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