
KDM to field ex-Sabah Treasury official in Sabah polls
PETALING JAYA : A former top official at the Sabah Treasury will contest in the upcoming state election representing Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM).
KDM deputy president Wetrom Bahanda said former Sabah Treasury permanent secretary Rusdin Riman will be fielded by the party in the Paginatan seat, the Borneo Post reported.
'Although (Rusdin) could not be with us today, his supporters are present and he has contacted me personally.
'Rusdin will be joining our fight for Paginatan,' Wetrom was quoted as saying.
Rusdin is reportedly the deputy chairman of Progressive Insurance Berhad, a general insurance firm in which the Sabah government is the majority shareholder.
The Paginatan seat is currently held by Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) vice-president Abidin Madingkir, who is also an aide to chief minister Hajiji Noor.
Abidin won the seat with a majority of 1,323 votes in a nine-cornered contest in the 2020 state polls.
At the time, STAR had gone up against Umno, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Upko, Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.
STAR and PBS have signed a pact for the upcoming state polls to avoid seat clashes, while the two parties are also part of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition along with Gagasan Rakyat, LDP, Usno and PCS.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Malay Mail
8 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Caring for the carers: A social enterprise steps in to assist Malaysia's ‘sandwich gen'
KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Juggling work, parenthood and elderly care, Malaysia's 'sandwich generation' often faces burnout due to a lack of proper support systems. Caught between responsibilities, many have been forced to quit their jobs so they can care for their family full-time because there are few accessible alternatives. And then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. For Teman Malaysia co-founder Ezzati Nasir, the time during the movement control order (MCO) highlighted a crucial need for these carers – caregivers. 'We saw a lot of problems that occurred among the seniors because their children were not able to go back to their parents. 'So that was our focus at the time,' she told Malay Mail in a recent interview. Ezza Nasir, chief executive officer and co-founder of Teman Malaysia. — Picture courtesy of Yayasan Hasanah Turning challenges into opportunities Teman Malaysia was born in 2020 through an incubator programme called Social Enterprise Education Laboratory, powered by Petronas and Tata Consultancy Services. Although there were already caregiving services in the market, the demand far outweighed the supply. 'We were part of the programme that was a place where social enterprises that solve social problems were put together, at the time also helping to solve youth unemployment,' Ezzati said. 'We were then looking for ways on how we can create a business that is able to create job opportunities to reduce youth unemployment rate at the time. 'That's when we coupled the problem together; seniors who don't have anyone to help them, and those who are in need of work/job opportunities.' She said jobs like food delivery during the pandemic were mostly taken up by men, leaving women with fewer options. Teman created an opportunity for unemployed women, especially as caregiving roles in Malaysian households typically fall on women. 'Our main objective was to incorporate the whole seniors ecosystem, however we're not trying to provide healthcare services,' Ezzati said. 'We were focused on seniors who are still able but their children are not confident enough to let them do things on their own, so they just need a teman around. 'That's how the Teman name came about.' How Teman works Unlike nursing services or retirement homes, Teman supports independent seniors who just need help with tasks like going to appointments, grocery shopping, or simply someone to chat with. 'I initially wanted to create a pool of Temanians who could accompany seniors who wanted to do the fun stuff like sports, recreational activities, eating and shopping. 'But as the team grew, we noticed that in Malaysia the need for medically related caregivers was still the main demand,' Ezzati said. Teman started with 10 caregivers. Today, over 300 people have been trained, with 40 to 60 actively working, mainly in the Klang Valley. 'One of our first training partners was the National Cancer Society Malaysia, recognising that many caregiving skills overlap with those used in palliative or long-term care,' said Ezzati. The enterprise is working on a 'travelling Temanian' package for families who want to travel with elderly parents who need support. 'It is my dream to be able to offer this type of service to help ease a family when they are travelling with seniors, but currently we don't have full-time caregivers. 'For now, we have Temanians who apart from being a caregiver, they help support an existing caregiver, allowing the main caregiver some time off and personal time,' Ezzati said. From just 10 people initially, Teman now has over 300 trained Temanians with 40 to 60 actively working, mainly in the Klang Valley. — Picture courtesy of Yayasan Hasanah Teman operates on a pay-per-hour model, with short-term and long-term packages ranging from six hours to up to 10 hours daily, in 20-day booking blocks. 'Seventy per cent of the fees go directly to the Temanians, with the remaining 30 per cent sustaining the organisation,' Ezzati said. With funding support from Yayasan Hasanah, Teman offers subsidised care for underserved seniors and families. 'Those referred by the Department of Social Welfare or zakat agencies receive services for free, funded through a blend of sponsorship and cross-subsidisation. 'Every month, we allocate 20 hours of free service for those who can't afford it. 'We're also exploring how by offering slightly premium services could help fund the cost of care for less fortunate clients,' Ezzati said. Call for regulation When Teman first launched, Ezzati said Malaysians didn't see caregiving as a real job. 'Before Teman started, the climate at the time was that this is not something many Malaysians would like to do. 'They don't look at this as a career opportunity. Formerly they would rather pay a domestic helper to take up this role, but now we can see a prospect of this becoming an income earner. 'We've seen many women who had to stop work to care for their children or sick parents, now their parents are no longer here, they already have the skill set to be a caregiver, why not join Teman and earn an income?' Despite growing demand, Ezzati said Malaysia still lacks a clear national caregiving framework. Her team is now working with non-profit groups like Kendana, and government agencies, seeking regulations for the welfare of caregivers and those on the receiving end.


Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Federal leader's insult pushed GRS into unity govt, says Hajiji
GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said many of Sabah's demands were approved by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whereas previous leaders found difficulty in devolving power to the state. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A federal leader's disdain for the proposed 'Borneo Bloc' political cooperation led Gabungan Rakyat Sabah into supporting Anwar Ibrahim's formation of the unity government after the 2022 general election, GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said today. Speaking at the annual convention of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, he said a former federal leader, whom he did not name, had dismissed the idea of Bornean cooperation. 'I was with Masidi Manjun and Jeffrey Kitingan in a meeting with a big leader over there (in Peninsular Malaysia) at the time. The person said they were the masters. He did not like the Borneo Bloc. He did not want us to share our experiences and stories with our neighbouring state of Sarawak,' he said. 'I was shocked by his words. I thought about them for a long time. What did they mean? What was his intent? As I thought about it, I lost heart (tawar hati) in these people,' he said in a video of his speech published on Facebook by Sabah Media. Hajiji said it was after much thought that he finally decided that GRS would support the unity government being formed by Anwar. Since then, he said Anwar's government 'has listened to our voices, and we have been treated well', and reiterated that GRS remained in support of the prime minister. Hajiji said many of Sabah's demands under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 were approved by Anwar, as opposed to previous leaders who found difficulty in devolving power to the state. 'So what are we hoping for? If the unity government is good for our state, why shouldn't we support it?' he said. In March, deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said the unity government had successfully resolved nine key claims related to MA63, including power to regulate gas supply in Sabah, the administration of the judiciary in Sabah and Sarawak, and guidelines on land reserved for federal purposes in the two states.


Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
People's views not same as those with lust for power, says PM's aide
The 'Turun Anwar' rally on Saturday was described by PAS as representing the people's vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. PETALING JAYA : The unity government will listen to all the people, and not just to the voices behind political microphones on rally stages, an aide to the prime minister said today. 'There is a big difference between the people's voice and the political agendas of certain parties who are trying to drag the people into validating their lust for power,' said Shamsul Iskandar Akin, senior political secretary to the prime minister. Shamsul Iskandar Akin. He said the government led by Anwar Ibrahim was built upon an electoral mandate and Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin and his coalition partners should return to the electoral arena if they were confident that public sentiment about the government had shifted. 'Not through street rallies, not by inflating crowd numbers, and not by manipulating racial and religious issues to provoke emotions,' he said in a statement, Bernama reported. His statement comes in the wake of the 'Turun Anwar' rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, which police said was attended by an estimated 18,000 people. However, PAS officials claimed that 200,000 people took part. The rally was later described by PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan as a vote of no confidence by the people against Anwar and he urged the prime minister to take heed of the turnout and resign instead of waiting for a confidence motion in the Dewan Rakyat. Shamsul said in a statement that the government respected the people's right to assemble and express opinions, and had ensured that no harsh action was taken, no tear gas fired, and no stages destroyed. 'The people's right to speak is protected. But their voices must not be exploited, and democracy must not be held hostage in the name of vengeance and power struggles,' he said.