KINI ROUNDUP | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 11am, 2pm, and 6pm.

11am

Politics

  • The views of those disputing Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s leadership if he were to be the next Perikatan Nasional chairperson are not grounded in reality, said PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

    In affirming his backing of Samsuri, Tuan Ibrahim highlighted that Terengganu has achieved impressive feats under Samsuri’s administration, pointing out that PN had managed to secure all 32 seats in the state assembly during the previous general election.

    PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man

  • Previously, Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad, who is also the son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, voiced opposition against Samsuri’s potential elevation to the top PN post.

  • Commenting on Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s move to resign from the Malacca state government, Tuan Ibrahim said that while the move is commendable, the Malay nationalist party will have to execute similar measures to push for meaningful change.

    Failing which, Tuan Ibrahim opined that Akmal’s move, by itself, is unlikely to translate to major effects.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh

Crime

  • DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok lodged a police and MCMC report yesterday over a viral fabricated news article that claimed that she has endorsed “halal-certified pork”.

    “This false and defamatory article has tarnished my reputation and portrayed me as a racial and religious agitator, undermining the country’s social harmony," the Seputeh MP said on Facebook.

    She demanded that the police investigate 18 Facebook accounts and one Thread account supposedly responsible for spreading the allegation, and urged the authorities to take stern action against them.

Court

  • Former Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin was granted a posthumous discharge and acquittal by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on three graft charges involving RM2.8 million.

    The ruling came after the prosecution informed judge Rosli Ahmad that it did not intend to proceed with the case against Bung following his death on Dec 5 last year.

    Ex-MP Bung Moktar Radin and wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad

    The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), however, rejected the bid by Bung’s wife, Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, to dismiss the three charges of abetment against her.

    The trial against Zizie is expected to proceed in March, with the court having set new trial dates for her case.

Selangor pig farming

  • While PKR leader Dr Sathia Prakash Nadarajan respects the Selangor government’s decision on centralising the state’s pig farming to Bukit Tagar, he told Malaysiakini that the paramount issue in Hulu Selangor is to build a hospital, as there is “not a single one” in the constituency.

    Sathia pointed out that despite having a population of over 300,000, locals still need to travel across district boundaries to receive medical care.

    The Pakatan Harapan Hulu Selangor parliamentary coordinator urged the state and federal government to make a reasonable decision that balances industrial needs with the people’s right to access healthcare facilities.