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Key Highlights
Will Chinese voters help Zahid's PM dream come true?
PN edging out Bersatu
‘Wrong’ ways to enter and exit varsity
Will Chinese voters help Zahid's PM dream come true?
BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi spared the Chinese community from a potential Perikatan Nasional rule during the hung Parliament crisis three years ago as kingmaker.
Now, the Umno president appears to be positioning himself once again as the Chinese community's "BB" - internet slang for baby - as he seeks to keep Johor under BN control.
For the July 11 Johor polls, BN has set its sights on Chinese voters who have traditionally backed Pakatan Harapan.
The coalition's cooperation with its federal ally in several state and by-elections previously helped soften BN's image among Chinese voters, but this time BN is hoping to continue its rehabilitation among the group without Harapan’s help as it goes solo for the early state election.
In a bid to do so, Zahid has been making the rounds with Chinese-language media, dishing out interviews and speaking of his ambition to one day rise beyond the deputy prime ministership, a post he has held twice since 2015.
The Bagan Datuk MP told Sin Chew Daily that, should he become prime minister, he would pursue three objectives - improving the economy, ensuring fairness in education, and strengthening national security.
At the federal level, Zahid’s talk of the premiership could be a foreshadowing of what comes after the state polls.
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PN edging out Bersatu
Major shifts continue with Perikatan Nasional following the disintegration of Bersatu and PAS ties, as two Bersatu leaders were dropped from the coalition’s top leadership.
PN chairperson Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar announced the removal of Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali as the coalition’s deputy secretary-general and Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin as PN’s election director.
PAS election director Sanusi Nor has taken over Radzi’s position while it has not been revealed who will replace Azmin.
Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz claimed that the duo’s removal, which he alleged were carried out under the pretext of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls, significantly boosts PAS' representation in the coalition's supreme council while reducing Bersatu's influence.
PAS had also earlier reinstated Hamzah Zainudin, who was sacked from the Bersatu following clashes with its president Muhyiddin Yassin, as opposition parliamentary leader.
Muhyiddin, despite all the setbacks his party is facing, has assured that Bersatu remains part of PN and will also use the PN logo in the upcoming state polls.
“We will continue to remain as a member of PN, and no party can take action to remove Bersatu from PN unilaterally,” he said.
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‘Wrong’ ways to enter and exit varsity
Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir has slammed claims that up to 60,000 students attended public universities through a “backdoor” channel, saying that such allegations fuel sentiments that spots for deserving students had been traded away for financial profit.
He stressed that admissions are conducted through a transparent process based on merit and eligibility.
This is after PAS’ Jitra assemblyperson Haim Hilman Abdullah, who is also a former Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor, made the claims at a PAS ceramah for the upcoming Negeri Sembilan polls.
On Monday, the Higher Education Ministry said it is mulling legal action against Haim.
In response to this, the Kedah exco member claimed that the existence of “backdoor” channels was a known fact, referring to the open admission channel.
While varsity entrance has hit the spotlight once again, so has expulsion, following Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s confirmation that it has initiated disciplinary action against two students over their participation in a Kudat village protest last month, where they were alleged to have been involved in an altercation with authorities.
Mandiri coordinator Hamdin Nordin said the disciplinary action against the students raised grave concerns over the state of academic freedom and democratic space in higher learning institutions.
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Views that matter
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