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Free Malaysia Today
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS not after PM's post, says party veep
PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad said the party has never viewed the prime minister's post as something to chase or lobby for. PETALING JAYA : PAS is not interested in chasing after the prime minister's post or lobbying for top government positions, says party vice-president Idris Ahmad. He said the party's culture has always been guided by humility and a focus on service, not ambition for power. 'We don't chase the position to the point of lobbying or fighting for it. That's not PAS's principle,' he was quoted as saying in a transcript published by Utusan Malaysia. Even with the party's muktamar scheduled for September, Idris said, PAS leaders have refrained from campaigning or seeking support for internal positions. 'I've been attending official functions every week in Dungun, Mersing and Iskandar Puteri, but not once have I spoken about internal contests,' he said. 'All we talk about is the directive to strengthen and reinforce the party. If PAS veers from this, we'd lose even before sunrise.' PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin said last November the party should lead Perikatan Nasional given its parliamentary strength and grassroots machinery. Traditionally, the PN chairman is regarded as the coalition's prime ministerial candidate. Leaders from Gerakan and Bersatu have publicly stated that Muhyiddin Yassin remains PN's sole candidate for the position. Idris also said that what matters to PAS is helping PN perform better than Pakatan Harapan, not fighting over who should be the prime minister. 'The appointment of the prime minister depends on the name submitted to the king. Even discussing this requires consensus within PN,' he said. 'Let us win first. Then whoever is qualified can take the role. The position of prime minister is not something PAS is fighting over.' He said this approach is deeply rooted in the leadership style of party president Abdul Hadi Awang, who once declined to contest a state seat in Terengganu during the 14th general election despite pressure to lead the state. 'Tok Guru Hadi proposed Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar instead. At that time, Samsuri was the election director and didn't even know he would be contesting,' he said.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Angela Rayner reveals why she'd never want to be prime minister
Angela Rayner has said she would never want to be prime minister because 'it would age me by 10 years within six months'. 'Have you ever seen a prime minister after a year or two in government?' the deputy prime minister joked. The morning after Sir Keir Starmer scraped through a major rebellion over his watered-down welfare reforms, Ms Rayner was asked whether she is waiting in the wings to take the embattled PM's place. 'Not a chance,' she told ITV's Lorraine. She said: 'It would age me by 10 years within six months, it does, anyone who has been prime minister it is a very challenging job.' Amid mounting questions about the prime minister's future following a disastrous first year in power, she defended Sir Keir, saying he is 'doing the job for Britain', adding 'there's been a lot going on' in the 12 months since the PM entered Downing Street. She said: 'He's been all around the world trying to repair the relationships in Europe. We've got the trade deals that the previous government wasn't able to do, tackling the things like the tariffs that the president in the US wanted to put onto the UK, which would have damaged our economy again. 'There's a lot going on, and the prime minister's been […] here, there and everywhere, doing the job for Britain.' It comes after polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice referred to Sir Keir's first year in office as 'the worst start for any newly elected prime minister'. He told Times Radio that the prime minister was 'never especially popular' and that 'the public still don't know what he stands for.' Asked if she would be interested in being prime minister at some point, Ms Rayner told the ITV programme: 'No'. She said that she is 'passionate' about issues including workers' rights and council housing. 'I'm very interested in delivering for the people of this country, because … to be elected as an MP from my background was incredible,' she said. 'Having that opportunity to serve my community that have raised me, looked after me, given me opportunities, and I don't forget that. And to be deputy prime minister of this country … it's got to count for something.'
Free Malaysia Today
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
What Johnny Lim's promotion means for the Malaysian dream
A PAS leader sparked controversy when he speculated that Malaysia could see its first prime minister of Chinese descent within the next 30 to 40 years. The remark came on the heels of the recent promotion of major-general Johnny Lim, a Malaysian Chinese, to the rank of lieutenant-general, in the armed forces. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad painted a hypothetical scenario in which Malaysia's 50th prime minister in the year 2058 is a Chinese individual born in Kampung Sungai Baru. His comments have drawn criticism online, with many accusing him of stoking racial sentiments and promoting divisive narratives. PAS's reaction to the promotion of a Malaysian Chinese military officer is hardly surprising, given the party's track record and the consistent rhetoric of its president, Abdul Hadi Awang. In 2018, similar concerns were raised by PAS leaders when Richard Malanjum was appointed chief justice, Tommy Thomas as attorney-general, and Lim Guan Eng as finance minister. At the time, PAS leaders questioned the suitability of non-Malays and non-Muslims holding top national posts. Malanjum and Thomas are both Christians. Hadi himself has repeatedly made controversial statements asserting that only Malay-Muslims are qualified to lead, govern, and administer the country. Such views, critics argue, not only undermine Malaysia's multicultural foundations but also fuel division in an already polarised society. In one lengthy column published in Harakah Daily, the party's official mouthpiece, Hadi declared it haram (forbidden) for Muslims to surrender political power to non-Muslims. Addressed to his followers, the article sought to justify PAS's political alignment with Umno under the 2019 Muafakat Nasional Charter and the party's support for the Malay Dignity Congress. In it, Hadi argued that leadership in a multiracial nation like Malaysia must remain firmly in the hands of Malay-Muslims, framing it as a religious obligation rather than a democratic choice. Among the key demands put forward by the Malay Dignity Congress was that all top leadership positions in government be reserved exclusively for Malay-Muslims. This included the posts of the prime minister, deputy prime minister, menteri besar, and chief ministers, as well as key ministerial portfolios such as finance, education, defence, and home. The congress resolutions also called for the appointment of only Malay-Muslims to senior civil service and institutional roles, including the chief justice, attorney-general, chief secretary to the government, inspector-general of police, chief of defence forces, and other top-ranking positions. Those behind these demands have been widely criticised for promoting racial and religious exclusivity, undermining the principles of meritocracy and equality among Malaysian citizens. In 2023, then Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal proposed amending the Federal Constitution to ensure that only Malays can hold the office of prime minister. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chastised Wan Fayhsal for his proposal and said ever since Merdeka, the candidate has always been a Malay. While Anwar's remarks may have been intended to reassure the Malay electorate, he may have inadvertently enforced the long-standing ideology that only Malay-Muslims are fit to lead the nation. Such narratives not only entrench ethnic and religious exclusivity but also undermine the principles of equal citizenship and inclusivity in a multiracial democracy. This raises a fundamental question: what is Malaysia truly about? While many in Peninsular Malaysia may accept the unwritten 'social contract' among the three major races, such a notion does not resonate with the people of Sabah and Sarawak. With their rich ethnic and cultural diversity, the Borneo states reject the idea that only Malays are entitled to hold top leadership positions in the country. For Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia was formed on the principle of equal partnership, not subordination. Any narrative that undermines this foundational promise risks deepening regional disenchantment and eroding national unity. It took 232 years, from the first presidential election in 1776 to Barack Obama's election in 2008, for the US to have its first Black president. It was 30 years ago when Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa. Despite being a Chinese-majority society, Singapore has demonstrated its commitment to multiculturalism by electing a Muslim woman as the nation's president in the past, and its current president is of Indian descent. So far, only a Sarawakian Muslim Fadillah Yusof has ascended to the position of deputy prime minister, the highest position ever for an East Malaysian. But looking ahead, there will come a time well before 2058, one hopes, when a Dayak, a Kadazan, or even a Chinese or Indian Malaysian will have the opportunity to lead the nation as prime minister. Such a moment would reflect the true spirit of Malaysia: a nation built on diversity, equal citizenship, and shared destiny, not one defined by race or religion. As Martin Luther King Jr once powerfully declared in his iconic speech: 'Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'.' My Malaysian dream, shared by many, is to build a nation where people are valued for their contributions, not judged by their race or religion. A Malaysia where merit, integrity, and service to the nation define a person's worth; where every citizen, regardless of background, has an equal opportunity to lead, to serve, and to belong. Congratulations to lieutenant-general, Johnny Lim and those who promoted him based on merit. The view expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Free Malaysia Today
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS man mulls suing ‘prejudicial' Sim after FB post backlash
Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad claimed that DAP deputy secretary-general Steven Sim interpreted the post according to his prejudice. PETALING JAYA : A PAS leader who came under fire over a now-deleted Facebook post speculating about the prospect of a first Malaysian prime minister of Chinese descent is contemplating legal action against DAP deputy secretary-general Steven Sim and a website. Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad accused Sim of displaying prejudice when claiming that Zaharudin had criticised the promotion of Johnny Lim to lieutenant-general in the armed forces. In a Facebook post, Zaharudin, the son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, said he never intended to criticise Lim's promotion. He also said that his original posting, which included a photograph of Lim, had been 'spun' by the World of Buzz website. 'They defend their Malaysian Malaysia concept, which champions having a non-Malay prime minister, and they also know that I am strongly opposed to that. 'Based on this prejudice, when I attached the picture of Lim merely for illustrative purposes, they immediately interpreted the post according to their prejudice. 'I will discuss with my lawyers the possibility of taking legal action against World of Buzz, which spun my original post, and I will also discuss whether legal action can be taken against Sim,' he said. In his initial post, Zaharudin had speculated that Malaysia may see its first prime minister of Chinese descent in the next 30 to 40 years. Sim called for Zaharudin to be investigated over his post, claiming it was seditious. PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the post went against the Islamic party's stance. Today, Zaharudin said his post was aimed at raising awareness about the potential dangers of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. He claimed that there was a possibility of MM2H visa holders having children in Malaysia and then seeking citizenship and even voting in the country. 'If these foreigners enter the country in a coordinated manner under MM2H, the same way the Zionists do in Palestine, then it's not impossible for us to have a Malaysian prime minister who was born from among these foreigners by 2058,' he said, without explicitly referring to any particular foreign nation. The PAS leader also maintained that the inclusion of Lim's photo was not intended to convey any explicit or implicit message. He said what he intended to convey was that the appointment of non-Muslims or non-Bumiputeras to certain posts may be a 'normal matter', but that it should not apply to having a non-Malay prime minister.
Reuters
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Romanian new ruling coalition agree to swap prime ministers from April 2027
BUCHAREST, June 23 (Reuters) - Romania's broad ruling coalition agreed to rotate prime ministers before a 2028 parliamentary election, with Liberal Ilie Bolojan swapping with a leftist Social Democrat in April 2027, a protocol signed by political leaders showed on Monday. Bolojan will ask parliament for a vote of confidence later on Monday. His cabinet will be backed by the centre-left Social Democrats, the centre-right Liberals and the Save Romania Union, the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and representatives of minorities.
