KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a thunderstorm warning for Perlis, Penang, and parts of Kedah and Johor, with heavy rain and strong winds expected until noon today.

In a post on its official Facebook page this morning, MetMalaysia said the warning covers the entire state of Perlis as well as several districts in Kedah, namely Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Kota Setar, Pokok Sena, Yan, Pendang and Kuala Muda.

The warning also extends to the whole of Penang and parts of Johor, involving Tangkak, Muar and Batu Pahat.

MetMalaysia said the warning, issued at 8.35am, was based on weather conditions indicating thunderstorms with rainfall intensity exceeding 20 millimetres per hour, or expected to persist for more than an hour.

The department noted that thunderstorm warnings are short-term alerts that are valid for no more than six hours from the time they are issued.

Members of the public are advised to stay updated through MetMalaysia’s official channels and take necessary precautions during adverse weather conditions.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The federal government today dismissed speculation of an early nationwide poll despite the dissolution of the state legislative assemblies in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said there have been no discussions on holding an early general election.

“At this time, there are no discussions regarding any effort to hold an early general election,” the government spokesman said at the Communications Ministry here this afternoon.

The clarification comes amid heightened political attention following the dissolution of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state assemblies, which has fuelled speculation over possible spillover effects on federal politics.

Fahmi said the federal coalition government remains stable and unaffected by recent developments.

“There is no impact on the Unity government at the federal level,” he said, adding that the administration continues to function normally, including at Cabinet meetings.

He noted that the dissolutions in Johor and Negeri Sembilan followed constitutional processes after the respective menteri besar obtained royal assent from their state rulers.

Fahmi also moved to dispel speculation that a Cabinet photo session earlier today was linked to preparations for a parliamentary dissolution.

“That’s incorrect. So, the prime minister informed today that it was his wish for a photo session as there were new ministers being appointed into the Cabinet,” he said.

“The appointments and reshuffling were made last December and there wasn’t an opportunity to have a photo session.

“So the photo session has nothing to do with Parliament being dissolved. The timing was simply convenient as ministers were already gathered in Putrajaya for the ceremonial parade event and were dressed in official attire.

“There is no issue. It is a normal matter and has nothing to do with the dissolution of Parliament,” he added.

When asked about the annual PKR congress, Fahmi said any decision on its scheduling would be discussed at the party’s central leadership council meeting in Johor tomorrow.

“So let’s wait for tomorrow,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a thunderstorm warning for several districts across Pahang, Johor, and Sarawak, cautioning residents to expect heavy rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms through 3 pm today.

The warning, issued at 1:05 pm, covers the following areas:

• Pahang: Rompin
• Johor: Batu Pahat, Kluang, Pontian, Kulai, and Kota Tinggi
• Sarawak: Sri Aman; Betong (Pusa, Saratok, and Kabong); Sarikei; Mukah (Tanjung Manis, Daro, Matu, and Dalat); and Miri

MetMalaysia triggers a thunderstorm warning when rainfall intensity is forecast to exceed 20 millimetres per hour, either imminently or for a sustained period of more than one hour.

Such warnings are short-term advisories with a maximum validity of six hours from issuance.

Residents and travellers in the affected areas are advised to remain indoors where possible, avoid low-lying and flood-prone zones, and stay clear of open areas, tall trees, and bodies of water during active lightning activity.

The warning remains in effect until 3:00 pm. Members of the public may monitor updated weather advisories via the MetMalaysia official website at www.met.gov.my or through the myCuaca mobile application.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — An aide to former Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim has publicly questioned DAP’s decision to reportedly field her in the Tiram state seat for the upcoming Johor election, suggesting the move may have been made hastily due to seat allocation considerations.

According to The Star, Ong Huai Yi, who heads Marina’s service centre, challenged Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching’s explanation that Marina was selected because she had the strongest chance of winning in the Malay-majority constituency.

In a statement today, Ong questioned what preparations the party had undertaken in Tiram before considering Marina for the seat.

He asked whether DAP had built a local team, strengthened its grassroots presence and carried out long-term constituency work, or whether the decision was linked to seat-swapping arrangements.

Ong, who is also an Indahpura DAP branch committee member, further claimed Marina had twice been asked to withdraw from contests for positions in the state party committee to make way for former Johor executive councillor Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.

He said Marina had received grassroots nominations to contest and questioned why she was expected to step aside despite being a branch chief, party member and elected representative at the time.

Ong argued that DAP has long promoted democratic processes and asked why a qualified candidate would be denied the opportunity to contest party elections.

He also questioned how Marina could be described as the party’s strongest candidate for Tiram if she had previously been prevented from competing in internal elections.

Ong alleged Marina had repeatedly been placed in difficult political situations while choosing not to publicly criticise the party.

He also rejected suggestions that Marina was unwilling to contest outside her existing constituency, noting that she had served as coordinator for the Malay-majority Layang-Layang seat several months before the 2022 general election and had been prepared to stand there despite lacking electoral experience.

His remarks came after Marina announced on May 31 that she would not contest in the upcoming state election and would retire from active politics once the Johor state assembly is dissolved.

Ong also questioned DAP’s long-term efforts to expand its support in Malay-majority constituencies, claiming that little follow-up work had been carried out in areas such as Pontian and Mersing after the 2022 general election.

He said Marina was not seeking any position or constituency and had already decided to leave politics and resign from the party after the dissolution of the state assembly.

According to Ong, Marina is not awaiting any decision from the party and intends to return the Skudai seat to DAP.

Following her announcement, Teo said the party had intended to field Marina in another urban constituency as part of a broader strategy to expand beyond its traditional support base.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi dissolved the state assembly yesterday, paving the way for the state election.

JOHOR BARU, June 1 — All eyes are on Johor today amid speculation that the state assembly could be dissolved.

According to the New Straits Times, Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi is scheduled to hold a special press conference at his official residence at 5pm.

The announcement, eagerly awaited across the political divide, is expected to pave the way for state polls.

MORE TO COME

KULAI, June 14 — The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has allocated RM210 million under the PTPTN eKasih Children’s Scholarship (PTPTN BAeK), benefiting 10,000 students from poor and hardcore poor families.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the allocation is a significant increase from the RM120 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2026 last October, which was expected to benefit 5,800 recipients.

“Under the latest announcement in the Malaysia Higher Education Plan (RPTM) 2026-2035, the number of beneficiaries of this free education initiative has been increased to 10,000 from low-income families,” he said after presenting PTPTN BAeK awards to two recipients in Johor.

Also present were PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim, chief executive Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid and Johor PTPTN State Office director Mazni Ruslan.

Zambry said eligible recipients must be registered in the eKasih database and enrolled full-time in Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree programmes at public higher education institutions (IPTA) from Jan 1 this year.

He also urged the public and IPTAs to inform PTPTN of students who may qualify for the scholarship.

Meanwhile, Norliza said as of May 31, the scholarship had benefited 402 students nationwide, involving RM8.79 million in allocations since its introduction this year.

The scholarship is open to Malaysian students aged 25 and below who are enrolled in PTPTN-registered courses, have an active Simpan SSPN account, no outstanding loan arrears and at least one semester remaining in their studies.

Recipients will receive RM4,750 annually for Diploma studies, RM6,180 for Bachelor’s Degree (Arts) programmes and RM6,650 for Bachelor’s Degree (Science) programmes.

Norliza said students must first apply for a PTPTN loan through the myPTPTN web application. The loan will be approved first to ensure they can continue their studies, before being considered for the scholarship if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Successful applicants will be notified via email and the myPTPTN application. They must submit the offer documents at any PTPTN counter within 14 days of receiving the offer letter. Scholarship payments will be made every semester.

Among the recipients were Alin Nairien Wong Mohd Allif Wong, 20, and Muhammad Amar Khoo Arif Khoo, 21, who said the scholarship would ease their families’ financial burden and help them focus on their studies.

Alin Nairien, from Tanjung Sedili near Kota Tinggi and a Diploma in Event Management student at Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan (PIS), said she relies on the income of her mother and eldest brother following her father’s death in 2019.

“This scholarship eases the burden on my mother and brother. It also motivates me to study harder and make them proud one day,” she said.

Muhammad Amar, a Cyber Security degree student at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), expressed appreciation to the government and PTPTN, saying the scholarship would help reduce the financial burden on his father, who supports him and his two siblings.

The PTPTN BAeK scholarship presentation programme will continue in Melaka next week, with two recipients set to receive the award. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, June 12 — The Election Commission (EC) has announced the polling dates for the upcoming state elections in Johor and Negri Sembilan, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown in the southern region.

EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun confirmed that Johor voters will head to the polls on July 11, with nomination day scheduled for June 27 and early voting taking place on July 7.

Negri Sembilan will follow shortly after, with polling day set for Aug 1. Nominations for the state will be held on July 18, followed by early voting on July 28.

MORE TO COME

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke fired back at Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi after the latter declared he would rather resign than cooperate with DAP in forming the next Johor state government.

The exchange erupted after Onn Hafiz declared during the launch of the party’s election machinery in EduCity, Iskandar Puteri earlier today that “I would rather not hold the position of Menteri Besar than have to sit at the same table with them. This is the spirit of Johor, Bangsa Johor”. 

“You don’t want to sit at the same table with DAP…… Great! Keep up your arrogance,” Loke responded on Facebook, in a post that has since gone viral.

“But your president sits next to the DAP secretary-general every week, right… just so you know… thank you!” he added, in a pointed reminder that at the federal level, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sits alongside DAP leaders in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet.

The war of words underscores the widening gap between federal and state political realities in Johor. 

While DAP and Umno are coalition partners in the unity government, Onn Hafiz has made clear that the arrangement does not extend to Johor.

Onn Hafiz insisted his stance was not driven by racial sentiment, as some have alleged, but rooted in Johor’s unique multiracial identity under the Bangsa Johor concept. 

He also claimed BN Johor has never sat at the same table with DAP, though he acknowledged that a previous menteri besar from Bersatu had done so.

The Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on June 1, paving the way for a state election that must be held within 60 days.

This round, BN is seeking a stronger mandate than its 2022 state election performance and has pledged to contest all 56 seats.

Onn Hafiz, who is caretaker menteri besar, has pledged to continue the Bantuan Kasih Johor assistance scheme if BN retains power.

At the time of dissolution, the division in the legislative assembly had BN holding 40 seats, followed by Pakatan Harapan (12), Perikatan Nasional (three), and Muda (one).

ISKANDAR PUTERI, June 14 — Two married couples were arrested yesterday to assist in investigations after a video showing domestic helpers being assaulted in Taman Johor near Tampoi went viral on social media.

Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the couples, aged between 30 and 34, were arrested at a house in the residential area at about 7.30 pm by personnel from the Johor Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Johor Bahru Utara district police headquarters.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the couples were living in the same house and that the female suspects were siblings.

According to him, the assault is believed to have involved three domestic helpers and is suspected to have taken place on July 26 last year.

“The video was recorded by one of the victims but only surfaced on social media yesterday. However, the motive behind the incident remains under investigation,” he told a press conference at the Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters here today.

He said the three domestic helpers, believed to be in their 20s, were suspected to have fled and are believed to still be in the country.

Meanwhile, Ab Rahaman said police had seized mobile phones, clothing belonging to the suspects, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera and the two domestic helpers’ passports.

He said all four suspects tested negative for drugs and had no prior criminal records. They have been remanded for four days, beginning today.

The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation, Section 354 of the Penal Code for assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage modesty, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, and Section 12(1)(f) of the Passports Act.

Several video clips went viral on social media yesterday, showing a group of individuals assaulting a female domestic helper who was seated on a sofa inside a house. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA, June 7 — Caretaker Johor menteri besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has declared he would not remain in office if Barisan Nasional (BN) were to form a state government with DAP.

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that the statement was made during the launch of BN’s election machinery in Iskandar Puteri, where he rejected suggestions that support for BN would translate into backing for DAP, describing the claim as “slander”.

“I would rather not hold the position of menteri besar or sit at the same table with them. This is the spirit of Johor, the Bangsa Johor spirit,” he was quoted as saying.

He said that when the state government is reformed with the consent of the Sultan of Johor and the Regent of Johor, and BN is given the mandate to lead again, it would not at any time form a government with DAP.

According to the report, Onn Hafiz, who also chairs Johor BN, said he had been directed by party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to seek feedback from divisions before the coalition’s election plan was finalised. 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The finalisation of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) seat allocation for the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections will only be concluded after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim returns from his overseas trip, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

The home minister and PH secretary-general said the matter would be brought to the coalition’s presidential council for endorsement, which is expected to be chaired by Anwar upon his return, according to a report by English daily The Star yesterday.

Saifuddin Nasution said the list of allocations would be tabled for confirmation at that meeting before any formal announcement is made.

“After that process, only then will it be official,” he said when asked about the progress of negotiations during the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly.

He added that earlier disputes involving overlapping claims for certain seats in Johor had already been resolved at the secretariat level.

“We managed to settle that during the Johor secretariat meeting,” he said.

Johor and Negeri Sembilan’s state assemblies were dissolved on June 1 and June 5 respectively, paving the way for the upcoming polls.

Saifuddin Nasution also touched on administrative matters, saying existing MyKad stock would continue to be used despite the expiry of a supply contract earlier this month, in a move aimed at avoiding wastage.

He said around 35,000 applications are received monthly for identity cards for Malaysians turning 12, adding that the rollout of new cards would be managed in a cost-efficient manner.

On the proposed 10-year Malaysian passport, Saifuddin said the government would announce the launch date at a later stage.