Good morning.
Malaysiakini would like to wish our Chinese readers a happy and prosperous new year.
The Kini Morning Brief team will be taking a short break, but we will be back next Tuesday, Jan 24.
Until then, here are our important picks for today.
Key Highlights
Leaders in luxury, people in poverty
Najib’s SRC verdict review adjourned
Ambiga, Siti Kasim drub Harapan
Leaders in luxury, people in poverty
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said it is nothing short of an embarrassment when there are leaders who live in luxury on wealth that does not belong to them while hundreds of thousands of Malaysians languish in poverty.
He noted that as of July 2022, some 136,000 households are in extreme poverty.
“It’s embarrassing if we allow these people to live in poverty while the leaders live in luxury and continue to accept rewards that are not their right.
“It is haram (forbidden in Islam) for us political leaders or public servants to practise corruption or wastage in a situation where hundreds of thousands of our people are living in difficulty,” Anwar added.
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Najib’s SRC verdict review adjourned
The five-person Federal Court bench chaired by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli agreed to adjourn the proceedings concerning Najib Abdul Razak’s bid o overturn his guilty verdict as well as the 12-year jail sentence in the SRC International case to next month.
This after the judges allowed an application by the former prime minister’s lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to adjourn the proceedings this afternoon to Feb 20 to 22.
Shafee also told the court there was no conspiracy between him and lawyers from law firm Zaid Ibrahim Sufian TH Liew & Partners to delay the hearing of Najib Abdul Razak’s SRC appeal last year.
Zaid Ibrahim Sufian TH Liew & Partners had acted for the former finance minister in last year’s failed SRC appeal before the apex court bench, which was chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.
Among the grounds cited for the review is that the Tengku Maimun-chaired Federal Court then had erred in denying an application by the law firm as well as Najib’s other lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, to adjourn last year’s hearing for three to four months to help them prepare for the appeal.
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Ambiga, Siti Kasim drub Harapan
Ambiga Sreenevasan and activist lawyer Siti Kasim have questioned if there is a political motive behind the probe into former attorney-general Tommy Thomas.
The pair issued a scathing statement on the matter after the police recorded their statements about the case.
“The investigation is about a statement made by Thomas… In fact, I am truly embarrassed at how we are wasting the police’s time by conducting investigations like this," Ambiga said.
"It's clear to me that this investigation was one of the demands of Umno to Pakatan Harapan.
"I want to ask the reformist government of Harapan - is this one of the demands of Umno about the investigation of Thomas?
“Is it connected to the charges that have been brought against some of the Umno leaders? And I want to know from Harapan, what else have you given away?" Ambiga, a former Bar Council chief, added.
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Views that matter
 | By S Thayaparan |
 | By P Gunasegaram |
 | By David Dass |
Other news that matter
The Film Censorship Board said “Pulau” is a horror movie, not porn.
It added that the content of the movie had some differences compared to its promotional trailer which had gone viral on social media.
Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar has reminded employers not to ignore labour standards, even though relaxations are being granted under the Foreign Worker Employment Relaxation Plan to expedite the approval of quotas for foreign workers.
Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM)’s Selayang division has announced its disbandment after losing confidence in party president Larry Sng.
The division said Sng broke his promise to make way for PBM founder Zuraida Kamaruddin to lead the party.
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