Malaysiakini compares the key news and views in major newspapers. What is today’s agenda for the newspapers?

Front page

English newspapers

New Straits Times led with news that the country’s overall crime rate has dropped by 14 percent while street crime is down by 37 percent, compared to the period from January to May last year.  

Star front-paged a warning from vice-chancellors of several public universities in the country against ragging, which is suspected to be what led to the death of a Royal Military College student last month.

Malay newspapers

Utusan Malaysia led with news that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had expressed regret for spouting anti-Semitic sentiments over the Apco issue, while trying to ‘persuade’ Jewish leaders to his cause during his recent United States visit.

Sinar Harian front-paged that two Selangor state assemblypersons, Amirudin Shaari and Shuhaimi Shafiei, were called to provide statements to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission yesterday.

Berita Harian headlined recommendations made by NGOs to curb the rise of illicit sex among teenagers, which includes a midnight curfew for those under 18 and allowing the police to search through teenagers’ mobile phones for pornography.

Editorial

New Straits Times said that the government should reconsider the current paternalistic approaches in assisting the Orang Asli community, and move towards empowering them instead.

Berita Harian opined that PAS is sacrificing its principles as an Islamic party by standing alongside the likes of DAP, which is strongly against the forming of an Islamic state.

Utusan lauds the government’s decision to form the Personal Data Protection Commission (SPDP) which will be implemented next year.