29/04/2025

TUESDAY | APR 29, 2025

3 Daughter of Tommy Thomas to take on Australian PM in election

KUALA LUMPUR: Hannah Thomas, the daughter of former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, will run against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Grayndler in Australia’s federal election on May 3. She will be contesting under the Greens ticket. In an article on the Greens website, Thomas, who is a lawyer, activist and writer, attributed her upbringing in Malaysia to shaping her outlook. “I’m lucky to have grown up in Malaysia in a family with a long history of strong progressive values, where

political engagement and activism were always encouraged. So it was probably inevitable that I’d eventually join the Greens once Australia became home. “The lightning rod events were (Tony) Abbott’s prime ministership and witnessing the Liberal-Labor unity ticket of cruelty towards refugees and people seeking asylum. “The Greens were the only party pushing back against the cruelty and racism, and that remains the case today.”

On why she decided to stand in Grayndler and challenge the prime minister, Thomas listed three things that compelled her – Israel’s ongoing genocide, atrocities in Gaza and against its people. “Firstly, watching a live-streamed genocide in the electorate of the prime minister was too much to bear. “There are very few people on this planet who possess the power to restrain the Israeli war machine as it slaughters countless Palestinians, but our local member was one of them.

Instead, he failed to take action and should be held to account,”she said. In an interview with SBS The Feed, Thomas – the youngest of five contenders running against Albanese – said she related to the young people more on various issues affecting the younger generation, including renting and buying property and having children. She said while politicians are pushed to use social media to appeal to young voters, what they should be doing“is have more policies that work for the young people”.

She also shared her feeling on challenging the prime minister in Grayndler. “It’s an insane thing to be doing, but it’s also extremely exciting. “I moved to this country in 2009 as an international student. If they told me then that I’d be running against the prime minister of this country, there’s no chance I would have believed them,”she said. The May 3 federal election is set to elect 150 members of Parliament and 40 of the 76 members in the Senate. – Bernama

Focus on safety in border towns

TUMPAT: The National Unity and Integration Department will focus on enhancing community safety in border towns in Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Perak to combat the drug menace. Department Director-General Datuk Che Roslan Che Daud said this was decided during a meeting by the Cabinet Committee on Combating Drug Abuse (MPJKMD) Coordinating Council. He said National Unity Ministry secretary general Datuk Ruji Ubi had recommended that the Rukun Tetangga Area (KRT) and Voluntary Patrol Scheme (SRS) be activated at the community level, especially those near border areas in the four states to combat drug abuse. “KRT and SRS have proven effective in maintaining community safety and security.” Che Roslan said there were two KRT – the Sungai Kantan Kajang in Selangor and Chenulang in Kuala Krai, Kelantan – which have been conducting patrols and controls every day to ensure neighbourhood safety in residential areas. “The effectiveness of SRS will be further enhanced through the MySRS (My Safety Regulation System) application which allows the department to monitor the implementation of SRS in real time.” He said the role of SRS in the community will be further intensified with the implementation of the “1 Family 1 SRS Member” campaign at all levels to assist the government in addressing social ills and security issues in neighbourhoods. – Bernama New sponsorship model for students KUALA LUMPUR: The government will introduce a new Public Service Department (PSD) sponsorship model based on academic merit for the pre-service training (LSP) programme. The department, in a statement posted on Facebook yesterday, said the model would replace the 2016 service placement merit based Convertible Loan (PBU), with the academic merit-based convertible loan (PBU Academic) effective from June 1. Under the new model, department sponsored students, except those in the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, will enjoy a loan repayment reduction based on academic performance. Students in the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy will get full loan repayment exemption if they complete their studies and fulfil the contract to serve with the government, reported Bernama. The department also advised students under the 2016 PBU model, who have completed their studies and are currently repaying their loans, to stop making payments starting June 1 until the option to convert is available. Students can refer to the department sponsorship portal at https://penajaan.jpa.gov.my or email pbuakademik@jpa.gov.my for any inquiries.

Teen to represent M’sia at world public speaking event Chreeshveeran received a cash prize of RM1,500 and a flight ticket to London for the world final, while runners-up Jie Yuee (second from left) and Bei Yan took home RM1,000 and RM500 respectively. With them are Tunku Naquiah (fourth from left) and Tan. – PIC COURTESY OF TAYLOR’S COLLEGE

would view the country as unstable. So how can we convince them to invest in the long term?” he said. Johari, who is also plantation and commodities minister, told reporters this after attending the appreciation ceremony of the National Kenaf and Tobacco Board (LKTN) in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. On Saturday, BN candidate Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir, who is also Tapah Umno division secretary, won the Ayer Kuning by-election with a majority of 5,006 votes after securing 11,065 votes against PN’s Abd Muhaimin Malek (6,059 votes) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia candidate Bawani KS (1,106 votes), Bernama reported. The outcome maintained Ayer Kuning as a BN stronghold, which it has held since 1986. The by-election was held following the death of incumbent Ishsam Shahruddin, 58, on Feb 22. This was the sixth year ESUM collaborated with Taylor’s College to host the competition. Taylor’s College campus director Josephine Tan said: “Together, we share a vision of empowering young people with knowledge and soft skills, including strong English proficiency, which are vital both personally and professionally for driving the nation forward.” panel, said it was a tough decision given the conviction, confidence and eloquence displayed by the 11 finalists. Chreeshveeran, reflecting on his performance, said: “It’s important to speak on a subject you are passionate about. How can others be interested if I’m not convinced myself?” Tunku Naquiah added that the annual competition, now in its 25th year, aims to enhance communication skills, foster international understanding and develop the confidence and mastery of spoken English among Malaysian youths.

According to ESUM, a total of 221 students aged 16 to 20 from across Malaysia participated in the preliminary rounds, speaking on the theme “We Know What We Are, But Not What We May Be” – a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet . Jenny Ooi Jie Yuee, 19, from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, was placed second, while Chin Bei Yan, 18, of The Seed Resource Centre, came third. As the winner, Chreeshveeran received a cash prize of RM1,500 and a flight ticket to London for the world final. The runners-up took home RM1,000 and RM500 respectively. This year marks the 45th edition of the IPSC, the world’s largest English public speaking competition for students aged 16 to 20, bringing together participants from over 40 countries for a week of cultural exchange and competition. ESUM chairman Tunku Dara Tan Sri Tunku Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar, who led the judging

PETALING JAYA : A sixteen-year-old from the Campus Rangers International School in Kuala Lumpur will represent Malaysia at the International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) in London from May 12 to 17. Chreeshveeran S. Ramesh emerged champion among 11 finalists at the English Speaking Union of Malaysia (ESUM) competition, held last Saturday at Taylor’s College. o Outshining 10 other finalists, 16-year-old will showcase passion and eloquence at prestigious IPSC 2025 in London

PN should accept Ayer Kuning defeat: BN sec-gen MANJUNG: Perikatan Nasional (PN) should accept reality and not make excuses for its loss in the Ayer Kuning by-election. Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the claim that PN had succeeded in preventing BN from securing 18,000 votes was merely an excuse to cover the opposition’s poor performance. Zambry, who is also higher education minister, was commenting on a remark by Perak PAS election director Mohd Fakhrudin Abd Aziz who said PN had succeeded in blocking BN’s ambition to secure 18,000 votes in the by election.

Meanwhile, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the country’s stability under the administration of the unity government was a key factor considered by the people in determining their support. “For me, the unity government is still relatively new, and many remain suspicious. Our task is to show the people that regardless of political differences, the most important thing is for the country to remain stable. “What is the point of having a government that changes prime ministers two or three times? Not only the people, but also foreign investors

“The PN leadership should conduct a post-mortem to identify the real cause behind their defeat in the seat contested by PAS during the by-election. “This is completely different from BN and the unity government which have accepted defeats in previous by-elections with an open heart and a professional attitude,” he told reporters after closing the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) TechnoXplorer 2025 programme at SMK Ahmad Boestamam here on Sunday.