Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said the UJSB Sukuk Series 1, which matured on May 29, involved RM12.5 billion that the government should have redeemed through cash or assets of equivalent value. "However, of the RM12.5 billion that needed to be settled, only RM965 million was in the form of property, namely a plot of land in TRX and plantation land in Sarawak.

“The remaining RM11.5 billion was settled in the form of another new sukuk, which will mature in 10 years, meaning the government will have to pay Tabung Haji RM11.5 billion in 2036," the Bersama co-leader said in a statement.

Rafizi said that the financial restructuring of Tabung Haji approved by the government at the end of 2018 depended on the government’s ability and compliance in fulfilling its financial commitments to Tabung Haji when they are due.

Under the arrangement, he said the federal government took over Tabung Haji’s loss-making assets through wholly government-owned Urusan Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJSB), which then issued two series of sukuk to Tabung Haji.

He added that the government was then expected to replace these with cash or assets of equivalent value when they matured in 2026 and 2029, respectively.

Focus under RCI report

Rafizi said that these matters are the focus of the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on Tabung Haji, which also highlighted several other points.

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READ MORE: 'Sakau' or not? Five key takeaways from Tabung Haji RCI

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"The move to transfer Tabung Haji’s troubled assets and replace them with a sukuk instrument on paper, without cash flow, was a temporary measure, solely to enable Tabung Haji’s reserves to become positive and allow it to continue paying hibah (profits).

"The government needed to make allocations from its annual budget to ensure its commitments were fulfilled when they fell due, namely in 2026 and 2029.

"Assets held on paper through sukuk instruments made Tabung Haji’s assets and annual income accrued from the sukuk appear better, but this remained dependent on whether cash or equivalent assets were injected back to replace these paper assets when they matured," he listed.

Over RM17b approved in 2019

Rafizi said the government had approved at least RM17.8 billion on April 5, 2019, during former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration to cover the shortfall in the redemption of UJSB sukuk.

The commitment was subsequently continued under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) during Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration and, he believed, under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim thereafter, through the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).

“However, the financial commitment to restore Tabung Haji in accordance with the recovery plan under UJSB does not appear to have been honoured.

“So far, only RM500 million has been paid to Tabung Haji to redeem the UJSB sukuk,” Rafizi said, citing the RCI’s findings.

Rafizi added that the RM1.5 billion allocation approved under Budget 2021, during Perikatan Nasional's administration, was also not paid to Tabung Haji, with the government citing the need to use the funds for economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said billions of ringgit were subsequently allocated for projects under Jana Wibawa, some of which were later investigated over alleged corrupt practices, while part of the allocation had been committed to Tabung Haji.

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READ MORE: Businessperson donated RM19.5m to Bersatu in bid for Jana Wibawa project, court hears

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“Throughout my time as economy minister, I recall that the government had allocated more than RM1 billion a year to settle this UJSB sukuk when it matured on May 29 this year,” Rafizi added.

He then urged the government to provide a frank explanation during tomorrow’s parliamentary debate on where the billions of ringgit allocated over the years to restore Tabung Haji had gone to.

“If the current and future governments continue to defer their commitment to redeem the UJSB sukuk into the future by continuing to replace one debt instrument with a new one, Tabung Haji will continue to face the risk of asset liquidity and cash flow problems in the future,” he warned.

Francis T Rozario : The money going to this bailout is peoples money. Why should those who benefit nothing be made to bail out Tabung Haji? Shouldn't Haji money come out of the pockets of Muslims, their own money, to finance their religious obligations? 

Why should taxes from non-Muslims go towards this end? There is a lot of talk about what is halal and not halal, looks like it is not halal only when they decide it's not to their benefit or are we non-Muslims now being made to pay "jizya", the taxing of non-Muslims in an Islamic state? 

We have to bear in mind that we are not an Islamic State; we are a secular country, and that is what the Constitution states. In the first place, Tabung Haji was set up with people's money; now that it has been "mismanaged" the term used to account for the huge losses, people's money is being used again.

In a Facebook statement, Wong said he will hold a press conference this Wednesday regarding the matter. He added that he will also be removing his MP honorific title from all of his service centre billboards, signages and correspondence by next month.

"On Aug 5, I met with the speaker and handed over my resignation letter as MP, effective Aug 10 at 5pm," he said, referring to Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul.

"This was to allow parliamentary officers three working days to prepare for the vacancy of the Subang parliamentary seat. We had a gentleman's agreement not to release any details until Aug 10 at 5pm," he added.

H2O : Top guns had resigned, it shows how rotten is pkr today.

apanama is back : Good move, Wong Chen. At least you are detached from that fake reformist. Now focus on how you want to move forward. I am sure Subang folks will vote for you again, this time under a different party in GE16. 

A friendly reminder: don't use the word "reform" anymore. Come up with a better version of what you're going to do. Do not promise something you can't fulfil at a later date. Best wishes and good luck to you. "Anak sendiri pun sudah lari keluar!"

The cabinet of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s backdoor government decided as early as August 2020 to establish a royal commission of inquiry into Tabung Haji’s affairs. The commission was established the following July.

The report was presented to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s cabinet in December 2022, but was withheld to prevent public alarm.

So, for over 40 months, those who allegedly dipped their fingers in the till, those who paid themselves excessive bonuses, those who approved the investments – the beneficiaries of the creative accounting practices were allowed to roam free and enjoy the fruits of their ill-gotten gains. 

DNAA for Zahid over 47 corruption charges against public interest, court told

BlueJaguar0861 : salam semua, lama tak share my thoughts. just a quick one; look at 1MDB X TABUNG HAJI. It tell you so much about who is involved - BUMNO

MarioT : The modus operandi employed by all these GLCs, is self service first and if there is a shortfall, the government will come to the rescue with hard earned taxpayers money even if it is from 'haram' sources. 

It has been the trend with crony management where accountability and honest accounting practisesl are almost non existent. This RCI is released now as sort of trump card for political reasons but has come too late to gain any upper hand. 

UMNO the culprit for all these mismanagement and accounting fraud, still remains a strong political force due to Anwar's failure to bring about the reformation he promised. If PH loses its support in GE16, the opposition led by UMNO will gain control to repeat past financial looting. 

Anwar must admit his performance and control of his own party has shown weaknesses. Any GLC that fails to perform, should not be rescued. Anwar should go against the current to plug corruption and commit to prison all those who have plundered the country. Reform the system and bring about meritocracy.

MS : You ask why Nades, so I’ll tell you why. In Madanistan, corruption was quickly weaponized to go after political enemies or otherwise used as a bargaining chip to reap dividends like “stability / unity” to ensure the longevity of the regime. 

The prosecution of Muhyidin et al, the cold storaging of the TH RCI report and the inexplicable dropping of all 47 charges against a shady politician embraced by the zero tolerance fellow all point to that. Corruption by and in itself is not a bad thing for the Madani Man. 

It is an untapped asset to be used to secure political and other benefits. It is only bad when those indulging in it have little or no respect for Dear Leader.

Koel : As citizens and taxpayers of this country, all we can see is the failure of the govt, political parties, agencies and units sworn to protect the country. A primary point in the last election manifesto was to address corruption, and what do we have here? 

A report submitted in 2022 alleged that crook and criminals in TH were falsifying accounts and getting paid huge bonuses. Why were they allowed to continue in their positions till 2026? Police reports should have been lodged in 2022 and they should have been removed from office immediately. 

And what is being done now with these treasonous types? If the home ministry, crime investigation units and courts of law fail to take principled steps to stop the abuse of public funds, there is no hope for Malaysia's ongoing struggle with corruption in high offices. 

In which country do we see 3 ex PMs being dragged to court on corruption charges, with at least one facing multiple charges. As a country we have to wonder how we have also been responsible for this shameful reality by voting for these questionable types. 

Looks like all it takes is a timely 2R slogan and some promise of goodies to firget about the country. But is the 2R slogan merely a euphemism for draining the country's coffers? Stealing from the people has become an entitled and arrogant way forward for some parties. 

And this probably continues because these real enemies of the state are getting off scotfree for several reasons including a system that appears to be very forgiving of the wealthy, the titled or the connected. And that is not justice or democracy, it is a system to keep entitled crooks in power.

Dr Suresh Kumar : It took a Chinese finance minister to rehabilitate TH and protect its depositor savings yet he was vilified. According to the RCI's 200 over page report, TH administrators and management team manipulated and showed a profit of RM3.4 billion through creative accounting, while TH had incurred a loss of RM1.4 billion, despite a consultant warning TH in 2017 that the dividend and profit that they showed was actually from its reserve and not from actual profit. 

Why did the management ignore the warning? It's because of the 2018 GE, to dupe the mass. You do not need a rocket scientist to tell you why. Therefore, political influence too had a hand in the cover up. Here is the kicker; despite facing severe financial crisis and bleeding billions, TH gave generous bonus to its staff, some even recieved 13 months bonus. 

This is not a random institution but a religious financial institution trusted by Malaysian Muslims. Be reminded, when the government bails it out it's going to use taxpayers' monies. As a tax payer I reserve the right to question TH as they did not ask my permission when they gave a guarantee to TH's depositors. 

Meanwhile Anwar in his statement recently said that " a religious institution, an Islamic institution brought to shame by Malays who were given the trust. To me, that breach of trust is treachery". Anwar feels it is treachery only in 2026 when TH was actually losing money since 2014 and released the report only after for 4 years, just before the NS state election. 

Can you see how the Chameleon takes the people for fools. They are now going after some ikan bilis to show that they are serious about curbing corruption and mismanagement but as usual all the ikan paus go scot free and enjoy the har-am money while the majority race turn a blind eye, is happy with the har-am money that they recieved and move on. Que sera, sera!

While leaders often blame foreign powers, the real truth is far more uncomfortable. This video counts down the seven self-inflicted wounds holding back two billion people—and reveals the single most destructive force quietly destroying their future from within. 

The $5 Trillion Mystery. Stop Blaming the West. Why You Can't Ask Questions. Ignoring Half the People. Why the Wars Never End. Losing Our Smartest Minds, really happening in Malaysia. Where Did the Money Go? No Future for the Young. The Enemy is Inside.

Anwar wolf in sheep's clothing - Daim

- Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, circa 2019

COMMENT | I keep reading all these commentaries that if Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim carried out the structural reforms he promised, Harapan would not be getting the thrashing it is getting now.

This may sound comforting, but the reality is that this is about power and the perception of power, and Anwar gave his away to Umno. The only reason that Umno/BN is in ascendancy is that Anwar enabled it.

Veteran 1972 : One of the most analytic write ups on the "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing". You cannot be disappointed by the Commander's insight on PMX, de wolf.

daniel : Commander, it was all about becoming PMX at all costs. He was never the reformist PH made him out to be - only standing behind the fragmented groups of people with different agendas and ideas of change. He just took advantage of the black eye to become the face of reformasi. 

All the hue and cry about corruption, leader for all races, went out the window because he convinced everyone that he has to form the government to carry out the reforms and to do that he needed to rope in umno. The rest is history...

BlueShark1548 : Commander keep writing on Anwar's mistakes,weaknesses and chameleon character.We need to bury this man who has turned out to be the worst PM in our history.Why? 

He and his daughter put out a burning light of Malay leaders leading the nation out of race and religion policies into the bright light of a Malaysia for all Malaysians with equal rights subject to our constitution. 

We have lost this opportunity. Anwar has allowed the ascendency of UMNO and PN. We are back to the decades of disunity and fertile grounds where corruption and cronyism thrive.Really sad. The minimum NMs could do is to reject PKR and DAP for this lost opportunity at GE16.

Rat Catcher : Anwar was exUMNO and still has its DNA. He knows how it operates and it is well aware of what's happening. Malays will continue to control everything. DAP has either been hoodwinked or foolish or perhaps both to trust him completely. 

Their only salvation is to pull out of government and keep some of their dignity and support. Too much has been sacrificed. PMX's own party is falling apart and even the daughter wants to quit her post. The writing is on the wall. 

UMNO will return as government in the next election together with PAS. Back to the old days of patronage, cronyism and widespread milking of the nation's resources.

It's ironic that Muslims accuse Christians of what they did themselves. There’s no proof of biblical corruption, but Islamic history clearly shows massive textual manipulation under Uthman to construct today's Quran. 

I bet they were thinking “uh oh, she knows wayyyyyy more about my religion than I do”. That was just masterful. This woman knows her stuff, can convey it persuasively and succinctly with impact, all with a sweet smile. Bravo!

50 MILLION MUSLIMS LEAVE ISLAM In ONE Country...The TRUTH About "ISLAM'S GROWTH"

Before internet muslims didn't have a choice to read bible. Now they can read bible. Zakir Naik mentioned that Saudi Kids who have been to Europe around 25% of them have left Islam. I hear the Moroccan monarchy spends most of its time in France living the life. 

The main problem now is not if Saudis are allowed to have a beer, it's about spineless politicians in the west handing over power to the most extreme muslim groups in exchange for (temporary) votes. 

I worked in a high end Italian restaurant some years ago in Seoul, we loved the Saudi Embassy personnel, their driver came in the afternoon buying the most expensive wine bottles, brandy and whiskey using cash only and he asked to put them under the table with a big napkin that covered them. And only coffee mugs on the table . No wine glasses.

In a post on His Majesty’s official Facebook page, he said investigations must be comprehensive, and no party found responsible should be spared action. “No one should escape action if they are found guilty. What is important is that something like this must not happen again,” said the king.

Sultan Ibrahim said firm action was necessary to ensure those responsible were held accountable and to prevent similar problems from recurring. The king made the remarks after granting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim an audience at Istana Bukit Tunku today.

The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, saw Sultan Ibrahim briefed on the contents of the RCI report as well as current issues involving the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).

Marriwala : PMX u now have a Royal backing put everyone who were involved....in jail. Put also people who are supporting this crooks in jail BN has a new partner in crime...put that party also inside When are people of this 4 states.ever going to see daylight,,economy benefits

AyamKambingBack : Thank you my Agong. About for those responsible, can we 

- fine them double the stolen amount 

- forfeiture of all properties and cash for 1 generation upward 2 generation downward. - rotan 1000 times 

- willingness to return ALL loots for exchange of non-death penalty by firing squad. 

- no jail term (a waste of public fund). ??

apanama is back : Oh yes, MACC started its investigation after 8 years because they could not find where the "lubang cacing" is or the end of the earth. There is one saying, "Talk is cheap", after all the damage has been done. 

It is no longer "better late than never" or "not too late", but DELIBERATELY DELAYED, and suddenly MACC found its "extraordinary courage" from nowhere. MACC will do its job. The grilling job. Grill the 'ikan bilis' to the ends of the earth. By the way, how about AMANAH, which can't be salvaged by investigation, prosecution and sentencing. 

What is the King and the administration going to do with it, even though you pursued this case "hingga ke lubang cacing." Nothing. It will be repeated elsewhere with a better modus operandi.

In a statement today, the DAP lawmaker urged Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and the inspector-general of police to explain why the two podcasters were remanded. “Podcasting is not a crime. Political discourse must not be governed by fear of reprisals.

“This does not reflect the spirit of ‘reformasi’ or reforms,” Rayer (above) said. He contrasted the police action with their handling of preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, whom he accused of repeatedly making racially and religiously divisive Facebook postings.

Rayer cited a recent police report lodged by PKR member Rozan Azen Mat Rasip against Ridhuan and asked what action had been taken. He also alleged that Ridhuan had labelled Malay Pakatan Harapan supporters as “barua” (lackeys) and non-Malay supporters as “kafir harbi” (belligerent infidels), arguing that this warranted an arrest for investigation. “How many police reports would it take before Ridhuan is arrested?” he asked.

Open minded 2281 : Rayner now you know why NM voters are moving away from PH as they view the Mandani govt inaction as double standards. The real problem being the Home Minister has done nothing to protect NM from race and religious insults.

Watch The Video Here

Kepada para veteran dan pesara di Selangor, Negeri Sembilan dan Melaka, marilah kita bersama-sama membuktikan bahawa perjuangan ini bukan perjuangan segelintir orang, tetapi perjuangan kita semua. Jika mereka sanggup datang dari jauh, apakah alasan kita yang berada lebih dekat untuk tidak hadir?

Ingatlah, hak yang tidak diperjuangkan akhirnya akan hilang. Tiada kejayaan tanpa usaha, dan tiada usaha tanpa pengorbanan. Ayuh, kita hadir di Mahkamah Rayuan, Putrajaya pada 10 Ogos ini. Semoga kehadiran kita menjadi bukti kesatuan, kekuatan dan kesungguhan para pesara serta veteran dalam mempertahankan hak yang telah diperjuangkan sejak sekian lama.

6 Ogos 2026

Mechi : Akmal, reflects on the calibre of future Umno Ministers... if they are elected. Imagine daily R n R criticisms of the NMs indiscriminately. Where is Mysia heading? And not forgetting the 47 charges to his leader!!

“You cheat Muslims of their money, but you don’t call that looting. You falsify the accounts of Muslims, but you don’t call that looting.

“And don’t forget, the RCI also mentioned and urged, among its recommendations, that action be taken against whom? “Against the cases that had been reported within Tabung Haji. That is the looting, because there was no oversight.

“There was no sense of responsibility, with everyone looking for what they could gain for themselves,” said the Amanah deputy president on the “Kini Jelas” podcast produced by KiniTV. 

On July 30, Akmal questioned who actually “looted” Tabung Haji funds, arguing that the RCI report did not clearly identify anyone and instead focused on governance weaknesses. The report did not accuse any Umno politician of misappropriation, corruption, or theft. Akmal and other critics also took aim at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s use of the term “sakau” (steal), noting that it did not appear in the RCI report.

Veteran 1972 : They have been doing that like forever. From taxes collected from pig farming, all the gambling outlets, selling of haram products like alcohol and so much other outlets. The space here is not enough to fill up all the haram stuff the Muslims receive without their conscience being troubled.

Ali Baba's Gang

Malay Mail : Musa Aman rushed to IJN. PUTRAJAYA, Sept 6 — Former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman was rushed to the National Heart Institute (IJN) due to a health problem at 6.30 this evening. According to sources, Musa who was present at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here to give a statement on a corruption case, had to stop the questioning session much earlier.

Kajang pigeon : All of them magically fall sick.

GE1G : Renovate or construct a court room in IJN and major hospitals. This is for the convenience of VVVIP on the sponsorship of tax payers.

Bornean : High blood pressure? Just take 10mg Amlodipine in the morning and perindopril 8mg at nite. Aug 27th, he will definitely in wheelchair attending court if there is no other medical emergency. ( Learnt from Musa A ).

BluePanther4725 : Notice that every single time a politician is charged for corruption, the accused will always fall sick. It seems that the culprits always use illness as an excuse to delay or postpone their trials. 

Why can't the government appoint an independent panel of doctors to assess the accused? Is the government stupid or are they giving chance to the accused? The rampant corruption in Malaysia stinks!

Francis T Rozario : Mysterious UMNO sickness, the minute you they are scheduled to attend court for corruption, they fall dangerously ill. After acquittal, they are fine, Zahid has always been fine, discharged even before he tried, so he got a DNA another type of discharge.

More comments on the corrupted jokers here.....

Ropee and Zul crawled through thick belukar to the CT's location and were surprised by a clearing patrol and a fire fight ensued, and the 2 CTs were killed while the rest bolted. The reporting back to BN HQ was poor, due to heavy atmospheric interference and I was tasked to set up a relay station to facilitate communications. That is how and why I know of this contact. We were using the SLR then and the CT's arms and thighs were literally split in 2 pieces".

What these people are actually mad about isn’t that Israel is bombing these places- it’s that Israel won’t just sit there and take these attacks, it’s that Israelis refuse to just die. If Israel was bombarded as it is now without responding you won’t hear these people say a word, if all Israelis died tomorrow you’ll see them celebrate. 

These people aren’t human rights advocates and they do not care about anyone, don’t let them fool you, they’re using fake outrage about conflicts that can all be solved if the people we are bombing will stop trying to unalive us. It could stop tomorrow if they do.

It was reported that the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) was on a night operation at Taman Teluk Gedung Indah to catch stray dogs. Fifty residents joined in.

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago said Rocky was allegedly beaten to death by a group of men. This was despite attempts by a family, which had cared for it since it was a puppy, to save it.

He called the incident a “deliberate, brutal killing”.

Long said to be a “little extra income” for party affiliates, supporters, hangers-on, and sycophants, such appointments were extended to civil servants - past and present. It was also a backdoor entry for party leaders who lost in the elections.

Sampehpagi : The chameleon has successfully revived UMNO

JKT : Anwar killed PH by siding with UMNO. Period. Untrustworthy. Terribly chameleon. He must step down or PH is finished. Or maybe it is finished.

GrayParrot9290 : Get Pmx, Fahmi and Jkom DG comments ! Pmx still wondering why progressive Rakyat is abandoning him and PKR ? Unity government is a lame excuse for bowing to UMNO ! You sacrificed your principle and promises to the Rakyat !

The Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA) has launched the “Email Anwar” campaign, urging the public to write to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and demand that he honour his promise to the family, disclose the findings of the government’s investigation, and explain why no one has been held criminally accountable.

The association noted that following a meeting with Teoh’s family in August 2024, Anwar announced that the government had agreed to reopen police investigations into his death.

However, in May 2025, the Attorney-General’s Chambers classified the investigation as “no further action” (NFA), citing insufficient evidence.

“Anwar’s promise to the Teoh family came with a clear deadline, and that two-year deadline has now passed. “He must give the family and the Malaysian public an open and honest account of the investigation’s findings. This promise must not be allowed to become another empty promise,” said TBH-ADA chairperson Koong Hui Yein in a statement.

Campaign seeks answers on stalled probe

According to TBH-ADA, the email campaign is to demand that Anwar take the following actions:

• Explain the findings to Teoh’s family.

• Provide the family with a formal, comprehensive briefing on the findings and the latest status of the investigation launched following the August 2024 commitment.

• Account publicly for the investigation.

• Explain what the authorities investigated, what conclusions they reached, and why no prosecution has been brought.

• Ensure a genuine criminal investigation.

• Direct police to reopen the investigation under legal provisions relating to murder, culpable homicide, or other appropriate criminal offences, while properly addressing the Court of Appeal’s findings.

The campaign is available in English, Malay, and Chinese.

Death remains unresolved

Teoh, then an aide to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in 2009 after being questioned overnight at the Selangor MACC office, then located at Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam. A 2011 royal commission of inquiry concluded that Teoh had been driven to suicide by aggressive interrogation.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled in 2014 that his death had been caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of MACC officers. On Nov 21, 2024, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered police to complete their investigation into Teoh’s death within six months.

In May this year, his family filed a judicial review seeking to compel the authorities to investigate his death as a murder, challenging what they described as the police’s use of an “incorrect” and lesser offence.

The move followed confirmation from police in January that previous investigations into Teoh’s death had been conducted under Section 342 of the Penal Code for wrongful confinement.

Bluemountains : The TBH probe report is not the only thing that has been suppressed. What about the Azam Baki probe report ? What about the LCS probe report ? The discount on jail term and fine for Najib and the DNAA for Zahid reflect very poorly on the integrity of the leadership. Protecting wrongdoers is an act of complicity.

A Wannabe Melayu

The report, lodged by Batu PKR division member Rozan Azen Mat Rasip, was submitted to the Ampang Jaya district police headquarters at 10am today.

In a copy of the report sighted by Malaysiakini, Rozan cited several Facebook posts published by Ridhuan (above) between May 17 and Aug 3, alleging they contained racial rhetoric and provocative remarks.

He claimed the posts used derogatory and inflammatory language that “exceeded the bounds of acceptable public discourse” and could threaten public order.

Starwars : The gradual erosion of public support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) can be traced directly to its perceived inaction against divisive figures who threaten Malaysia's social fabric. A prominent example is the continuous, unchecked racial rhetoric from individuals like Ridhuan Tee. 

Despite numerous police reports lodged by concerned citizens, meaningful legal consequences remain absent.This systemic inaction by the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers has only served to embolden those who spew hatred and politicise race. 

When inflammatory remarks face zero accountability, it signals to the public that the rule of law is selective rather than universal. This deeply disappoints voters who elected PH on the promise of institutional reform.If Pakatan Harapan genuinely intends for the rule of law to prevail, it must demonstrate political will. 

Replacing an AG who fails to decisively prosecute hate speech and defend national unity is a necessary first step. To win back the trust of the people, the government must prove that no one is above the law, and that harmony is actively protected, not just used as a campaign slogan.

Pakatan Harapan won 11 seats (DAP nine, PKR two), with two of its political heavyweights, Transport Minister Anthony Loke and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun, losing their state seats in Chennah and Linggi respectively.

Harapan’s vote share was 39.7 percent this year compared to 44.4 percent in the 2022 general election.

Malay vote consolidation

The major difference this time was that the Malay votes were not split between BN and PN, and the two coalitions combined to win more than 55 percent of the popular vote, which is sufficient to win a comfortable majority of seats in a first-past-the-post electoral system.

Bersatu’s vote share plummeted to 2.7 percent with only one out of its 24 candidates retaining his deposit (N7 Jeram Padang).

Candidates must pay a deposit of RM10,000 for parliamentary and RM5,000 for state seats when contesting in elections. They will lose their deposit if they fail to win at least 12.5 percent of the vote.

My initial estimates of Malay and Chinese turnout for the state election were 78 percent and 62 percent respectively. In a 57 percent Malay electorate state like Negeri Sembilan where an estimated 80 percent of Malay voters supported BN or PN, this translates into an electoral advantage of slightly more than seven percent for BN and PN candidates.

My initial estimate of Malay support for Harapan in this state election was less than 10 percent, at around eight percent. Among the Chinese voters who turned out to vote, more than 90 percent supported Harapan, but this wasn’t enough to “save” Loke in Chennah, which was effectively a 40 percent Chinese seat versus 60 percent Malay+Orang Asli who voted overwhelmingly for the BN/MCA candidate.

This state election wasn’t just a case of votes being transferred from PN to BN and vice versa. In 30 of the 36 state seats, Harapan's share of the vote fell compared with the 2022 general election.

Source: Thevesh on X

Out of the six state seats where Harapan experienced an increase in support were N1 Chennah and N32 Linggi (by 2.4 percent in both seats), but because most of the votes won by PN in 2022 were transferred to BN in 2026, this small increase in support was overwhelmed by the even larger increase in support, especially among the Malay voters, for BN and PN.

Lessons for Harapan

What lessons can Harapan take away from this defeat?

If there was one piece of advice that I would give to Harapan and especially Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, it would be this: please focus on delivering the political and institutional reforms which were the fundamental reasons for which you promised while in opposition, and move away from the short-term tactics which failed to deliver you the votes in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

The electorate is too knowledgeable for you to try to win them over with short-term tactics such as making public the Tabung Haji royal commission of inquiry report three years after it was completed in the hope that it would sway some Malay voters, trying to make political capital out of the deportation of 5,000 Rohingya back to Myanmar, and apologising for the “temple issue” to the Indian community.

The institutional reforms that could be delivered before GE16 include:

(i) 10-year term limit to the tenure of the prime minister

(ii) Separation of the public prosecutor and attorney-general roles (both of these bills were not tabled in the recently concluded parliamentary session)

(iii) Introducing an equal constituency allocation bill so that opposition MPs would receive the same allocation as government MPs

(This is important especially since Harapan is likely to find itself back in the opposition after GE16)

(iv) Go back to pushing for electoral reform including a fair delimitation of constituencies at the federal and state levels.

The reform test

The last reform is a good reminder to Anwar and Harapan leaders. In May 2024, Anwar had an opportunity to fill the vacancy of the Election Commission chairperson.

Many NGOs, including Bersih and Tindak Malaysia, asked for the list of names for this position to be vetted by the parliamentary special select committee on human rights, elections, and institutional reform, headed by PKR MP for Selayang, William Leong.

I suggested a few candidates who were seen to be independent and respected by the public, especially with regard to electoral reform.

In the end, Parliament was not consulted, and Anwar tabled a name, Ramlan Harun, who is a retired civil servant, following the same modus operandi used by BN in the past, to fill the position of the EC chairperson.

(I have nothing against ex-civil servants, but they are the least likely to want to push for electoral reform independently.)

Would the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections have been called at the same time if there was a more independent EC chairperson? This would be something that would continue to haunt Harapan.

It is noteworthy that coalition leaders, including Anwar himself, have done and said almost nothing in terms of electoral reform, including on the important delimitation of electoral boundaries which is supposed to start in 2026 and conclude in 2028.

Ironically, a fairer delimitation of constituencies is one of the few things which could help Harapan in future elections, but there is not enough time under this Madani administration.

Pushing for these reforms is the right thing for Harapan to do even if it ends up in the opposition post GE16. The long-suffering Harapan supporters deserve as much.

Meerkat : Anwar is too busy poking his nose into external affairs and trying to be more well known internationally than putting right Malaysia's ills. He turned out to be a bad PM and dashed the hopes of a lot of right thinking Malaysians

Sampehpagi : All these advices were already in RR’s podcasts but sadly, Mr. Madani just won’t do it, he feels afloat higher than others, he reminded others he’s the sitting PM. 

His apology if any if not sincere, not from his heart, it’s from his brain for votes, the only thing he can do is the MGR dance. TH RCI reports he sat on it for almost 4 years, any forensic audits?

Mia Talias

They chose their path, they’ve done their damage, and I will not entertain this fake utopian universe that only adheres to the western mind, I live in the Middle East, and when my enemy tells me they want me dead- I believe them. 

His words sound good in theory, but this is not reality. He is delusional in his thoughts. Sad but true. Agree with you, sis. It’s so cringe hearing Rudy continue down this path of appeasement. 

He doesn’t represent most us because people who want to delete us sure as hell don’t deserve to be called family! Finally!!!!! Mia, thank you for saying that. That's exactly what I'm thinking every time I hear him.

[2] Don’t be surprised if Hadi Awang becomes deputy prime minister. That would put PAS one step closer to its long-cherished goal of ruling Malaysia and, ultimately, transforming it into an Islamic state. It doesn’t augur well that a party with a history of corruption, racism, and abuse of power alongside a party with a history of bigotry and extremism could now sit in Putrajaya.

[3] Malaysia is at this inflection point because of the perfidy of the PH leadership, and Anwar in particular. He had every opportunity to usher in the reforms he promised; instead he pawned them for ambition and power. He struck a Faustian bargain with UMNO that stripped his government of the political will to fight corruption. His promise of a more inclusive government turned out to be nothing more than a chimera.