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Govt saved by the bell
King calls for calm
Petronas irks bumi businesses
Govt saved by the bell
The government was spared from potential calamity in its attempt to amend the Federal Constitution when the Dewan Rakyat session ran out of time.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had wanted the citizenship amendments to be debated and voted on in the current Parliament session.
However, on Wednesday, Saifuddin only managed to do the second reading of the bill before the Dewan Rakyat session ended.
There was uncertainty whether the government could secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the constitutional amendments, as there was discontent among MPs over regressive elements in the bill.
This includes children born overseas to Malaysian mothers before the amendment being excluded from automatic citizenship as the bill is not retrospective.
The debate on the bill is now expected to take place when the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes in late June.
HIGHLIGHTS
King calls for calm
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong called on all parties to stop taking advantage of the issue of socks bearing the word Allah, saying it should now be left to the authorities.
He said he had already ordered for action to be taken, so there was no need to keep fueling anger.
He said such actions were not beneficial and that it is better for all concerned to learn from this incident and strive to strengthen unity
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Petronas irks bumi businesses
Petronas’ decision to select Solarvest Energy Sdn Bhd to install solar panels on the company’s 300 petrol stations has irked bumiputera players in the industry.
Former Mara Corporation chairperson Akhramsyah Sanusi said Petronas had erred not because it ultimately awarded the deal to Solarvest Energy, but because it did so in a closed tender in which none of the three companies invited to bid were bumiputera-owned.
Perkasa, meanwhile, is calling for a boycott against Petronas.
Following the backlash, the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) announced that Petronas’ clean energy arm Gentari Sdn Bhd had agreed to create a consortium consisting of solar industry players who are qualified to be awarded contracts in the future.
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