Malaysia Morning News For February 27, 2020

Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan coalition backs Anwar as PM
The announcement comes following the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday.
— Aljazeera

Malaysia, Singapore agree to align entry screening protocols, other measures to tackle Covid-19 outbreak
Singapore and Malaysia agreed on several measures to tackle the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak yesterday, including continuing entry screening at both countries’ land borders and aligning the procedures used.
— Malay Mail

Mahathir says will try to establish non-partisan national administration
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that if given the chance, he will try to establish a non-partisan national administration, with priority accorded to national interests.
— The Borneo Post

Petronas Chemicals Q4 profit more than halves on margin pressure, forex loss
Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd’s (PetChem) net profit tumbled 66.3% to RM340 million for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 against RM1.01 billion in the same quarter of the previous year, largely due to compressed margin, foreign exchange loss pursuant to a stake sale in its subsidiary.
— The Sun Daily

Economic stimulus package to be announced tomorrow as scheduled
The much-awaited economic stimulus package 2020 will be announced as scheduled by the Interim Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at 4 pm tomorrow in Putrajaya.
— The Borneo Post

S’wak CM non-committal on possibility of simultaneous state, general elections
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (pix) was non-committal when asked on the possibility of the state election being held simultaneously with general elections should the latest political developments lead to the dissolution of Parliament.
— The Sun Daily

State polls can wait, analyst says nation’s political stability should now be GPS priority
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should not take advantage of the current political impasse at the federal level to call for a state election, opined political analyst Professor Dr Jayum Jawan Empaling.
— The Borneo Post

UM graduate claims trial over alleged provocative remarks in VC protest
Universiti Malaya (UM) graduate Wong Yan Ke has claimed trial at the Magistrate’s Court today for allegedly attempting to provoke a breach of the peace over his protest against the university’s vice-chancellor Datuk.
— Malay Mail

Public Bank declares 40 sen dividend despite flat Q4 earnings
Public Bank Bhd posted flat earnings of RM1.4 billion for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 due to higher other operating expenses in tandem with increased business activities.
— The Sun Daily

District council issues stop work order for project on reforestation land
A stop-work order has been issued to the Perak Corporation Berhad (PCB) for carrying out works at a plot of reforestation land in Tanjung Malim without prior approval from the authorities.
— The Star Online

Commentary: Mahathir Mohamad remains the eye of the political storm brewing in Malaysia
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has emerged from the fray unscathed so far. He remains unbeatable, even if a snap election were to be called, says James Chin.
— CNA

In first public remarks as interim PM, Dr M apologises to country for political mess
Interim prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad apologised to Malaysia this afternoon in his first public address since the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed.
— Malay Mail

Civil servants urged to stay apolitical: Cuepacs
The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has urged all civil servants in the country to remain apolitical and to keep abreast of the current political situation.
— The Sun Daily

DAP rep claims Perak only has caretaker government with Bersatu out of Pakatan
DAP assemblyman and constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari said the Perak administration is now a caretaker government as Bersatu’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu cannot remain mentri besar as his party was no longer in Pakatan.
— Malay Mail

Last two LTTE accused acquitted, discharged
Two more men accused of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist group were acquitted and discharged by two separate High Courts, here today.
— The Sun Daily

Marine police foil smugglers, seize magpies worth nearly RM500k
Marine Police (PPM) nabbed three locals as they tried to smuggle almost half a million ringgit’s worth of live birds to neighbouring countries on Wednesday (Feb 26).
— The Star Online

Sarawak CM: Politicians’ greed for power reason for Pakatan’s collapse
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg today said the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government is caused by greed for power. “It is all about fighting who should be the prime minister.
— Malay Mail

NAP 2020 an effort to develop automotive ecosystem
The level of granularity featured in the National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020), in comparison to its predecessors, signifies the government’s steadfast efforts in ensuring that a considered policy document is put in place to develop the automotive ecosystem in Malaysia.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Putra veep pleads not guilty over racist remarks on social media
Lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz today claimed trial at the Magistrate’s Court here for racial incitement He was charged under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code for allegedly trying to incite Malays to commit an offence.
— Malay Mail

Hong Leong Bank posts slight increase in Q2 profit, pays 16 sen dividend
Hong Leong Bank Bhd’s (HLBank) net profit for the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 rose marginally by 2.1% to RM701.81 million from RM687.25 million a year ago, mainly due to higher net income and share of profit from associated companies.
— The Sun Daily

Johor Sultan to meet all state reps today amid possibility of hung assembly
Johor’s 56 state assemblymen have been summoned to appear before Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at the Bukit Timbalan administrative building here today.
— Malay Mail

Public Bank posts RM5.51 bln net profit For FY19
Public Bank Bhd’s net profit eased to RM5.51 billion for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2019 (FY19) from RM5.59 billion recorded in the preceding financial year.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Civil servants prohibited from political gathering
Public servants are strictly prohibited from attending or participating in political gatherings and making public statements. Director-general of Public Services Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said civil servants were also prohibited from distributing or transmitting fake news on social media or any other medium of communication.
— New Sarawak Tribune

SP Setia FY19 profit down with RM4.56b sales
SP Setia Bhd’s net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 (Q4) fell 26.8% to RM70.13 million from RM95.85 million in the previous corresponding period.
— The Sun Daily

Civil servants prohibited from participating in political gathering
Public servants are strictly prohibited from attending or participating in political gatherings and making public statements.
— The Borneo Post

Police investigating Facebook user for allegedly ridiculing CM in a meme
The police are currently investigating the identity of a Facebook user for allegedly ridiculing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in a meme that was posted on Facebook on Feb 24.
— The Borneo Post

Sime Darby’s Q2 earnings slip 11% to RM282m
Sime Darby Bhd’s net earnings for its second quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 saw a 11% dip to RM282 million, from RM317 million in the same quarter a year ago, on the recognition of a deferred tax credit of RM129 million arising from the change in real property gains tax (RPGT) rates in the previous corresponding period.
— The Sun Daily

Second batch of Malaysians back from Wuhan undergo mandatory quarantine in Nilai
A total of 66 individuals, comprising 46 Malaysian citizens and 20 of their non-citizen family members, who arrived from Wuhan, China this morning, are being housed at the monitoring centre at the Higher Education Leadership.
— Malay Mail

Wee: 12 mobile bus stops to be set up in MBKS area to cater for free school bus service initiative
A total of 12 mobile bus stops will be set up in the area under the jurisdiction of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) to cater for the free school bus service initiative as announced by the Sarawak government in 2020 State Budget last year, said its mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng.
— The Borneo Post

OCBC launches Malaysia’s first cross-border collection service
OCBC (Malaysia) Bhd has launched OCBC OneCollect, the country’s first merchant cross-border Quick Response Code (QR Code) collection service.
— The Sun Daily

Prestariang to dispose of education unit to Serba Dinamik Group
Prestariang Bhd is selling its boutique university which is owned and operated by its unit, Prestariang Education Sdn Bhd, to Serba Dinamik Group Bhd (SDGB) for RM2.5 million.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Special aircraft on second Wuhan evacuation arrives at KLIA
The special flight carrying Malaysian nationals from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, arrived safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) early today.
— The Borneo Post

Air quality in northern part of Miri deteriorates overnight as API increases to 126
The air quality in the northern part of the city has deteriorated overnight as the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at Industrial Training Institute (ILP) Miri increased to 126 as of 8am compared to 96 at 7pm last night.
— The Borneo Post

IJM Corp Q3 net profit almost halves to RM49.77m
IJM Corp Bhd’s net profit for the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 fell 46.7% to RM49.77 million from RM93.42 million a year ago due to higher share of losses of associates.
— The Sun Daily

Optimax to issue 70m new shares for ACE Market listing
Optimax Holdings Bhd is heading for a listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd, with its initial public offering (IPO) entailing a public issue of 70 million new shares.Of this, 13.5 million shares will be made available by the Malaysian public; 4 million shares for eligible employees and directors; and 52.5 million shares.
— The Sun Daily

Johor state exco meeting postponed
The Johor state executive council (exco) meeting scheduled for today has been postponed due to the current political situation.
— The Sun Daily

Penang council shuts down popular briyani restaurant in George Town over cleanliness issues
Four shops, including a popular briyani restaurant on Chulia Street, were ordered to close by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) today after rat and cockroach droppings were found in their premises.
— Malay Mail

Shahrir, Ahmad Maslan, 32 individuals fail to strike out MACC compounds
The High Court here today rejected an application for judicial review by 34 individuals including former Felda chairman, Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad and Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan to strike out the compound notices of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over charges of receiving funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad .
— The Sun Daily

Talk of Anwar’s nomination for PM renews uncertainty gripping Malaysian politics (VIDEO)
A series of news reports and cryptic quotes from PKR lawmakers now suggest that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may have been named as Pakatan Harapan’s choice for prime minister, despite earlier affirmations of support for Tun.
— Malay Mail

Three eateries, spice store ordered shut over cleanliness issues
Three eateries and a spice store were ordered to shut by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), after rat droppings and live cockroaches were found separately on their premises.
— The Star Online

Xiaomi Malaysia hands out free power banks to media in front of Istana Negara
These are trying times in the Malaysian political landscape, but it’s always nice to see a little compassion for those who are working tirelessly to keep us up to date on the news.
— Malay Mail

PKR MPs arrive at Istana Negata in open-top bus
If PAS and Umno members of parliament hopped on a bus to the Istana Negara yesterday for their audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, the PKR MPs made their trip there today ‘roofless’ by arriving in a ‘Hop-On Hop-Off’ bus.
— The Borneo Post

In a bid to spur domestic tourism, Penangites get 50pc discounts for ticketed attractions in the state
Penang kicked off a “Penang-lang 50% off” campaign to energise the state’s economy today. The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP), in collaboration with Penang Global Tourism and the state tourism committee,.
— Malay Mail

Kit Siang reaffirms PH’s reform agenda, cautions against return of ‘kleptocratic’ govt
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang today affirmed Pakatan Harapan’s agenda of constitutional reforms amidst the current political dilemma facing the country.
— Malay Mail

Xiaomi Malaysia gives away free power banks to media personnel at Istana Negara
DURING moments like these, it’s both exciting and tiring to be part of the media – even more so for the men and women stationed outside Istana Negara. You may have heard that the reporters who were stationed outside the palace received food from the Agong in the last few days.
— The Sun Daily

MSM loss widens in Q4, chairman to step down as part of deal on FGV directors’ fees
MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd saw its net loss for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 widen to RM40.28 million, from RM10.35 million in the previous corresponding quarter due to the continuous depletion of its average selling prices (ASP) and decline in export volumes throughout the year.
— The Sun Daily

Man and wife arrested, drugs worth RM134k seized
A contractor and his wife were arrested after police found drugs worth more than RM134,000 at their house in Kampung Selamat, Sitiawan.
— The Star Online

Grass cutter gets 3 years’ jail, fine for abusing stepdaughter
A grass cutter was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM10,000, in default one year in jail by the sessions court here today, for abusing his stepdaughter early this month.
— The Sun Daily

Feature photo The MOLE

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on Zero Discrimination Day, March 1.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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