07/06/2026

NATIONAL 2 theSun on Sunday JUNE 7, 2026

FOLLOW

ON YOUTUBE

Malaysian Paper

/theSunMedia /

‘Not apt to take Negeri Sembilan issue to court’

Malacca elections only after Johor polls: CM ALOR GAJAH: Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has hinted that the state election would be held after the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls are concluded. He said the situation in Johor and Negeri Sembilan is different from that in Malacca, which does not require the state legislative assembly to be dissolved in the near future. “The current term of the Malacca State Legislative Assembly ends on Dec 30. We (Barisan Nasional) will continue to administer government affairs and look after the people’s welfare until a date to be officially announced. We are not following either Johor or Negeri Sembilan, and we will deploy (party) machinery to assist in the elections in both states,” he said at his residence in Kampung Pulau on Friday. Ab Rauf added that he would study the results of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections before deciding on a suitable date to dissolve the state assembly. He said he was not under any pressure to dissolve the state assembly, as had happened in Johor and Negeri Sembilan. Commenting on the future of the state assembly, Ab Rauf described politics as an “art with 1,001 possibilities”. The Malacca state election in 2021 saw Barisan Nasional form the state government after winning 21 seats, while Pakatan Harapan secured five seats and Perikatan Nasional attained two seats. – Bernama Malaysians flock to Thailand SONGKHLA: Over 300,000 Malaysian tourists flocked to southern Thailand during the Aidiladha festive break and school holidays from May 27 to June 4, generating more than one bilion baht (RM123.2 million) for the country’s tourism sector. Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association president Sittipong Sitthiphataraprabah said Malaysian tourists entered Thailand through nine land crossings in Narathiwat, Yala, Songkhla and Satun. He said Songkhla, Satun, Phatthalung, Trang, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are among the favourite destinations. He added that more than 30,000 hotel rooms were filled for the duration. Sittipong expressed unhappiness that many tourists had to wait between three to four hours to get through immigration checks, in particular at the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. “Some tourists were stranded on their way back to Malaysia, to the point that they had to spend the night in their vehicles or by the roadside due to the unusual congestion.” He said he had conveyed the matter to the relevant agencies and expressed hope that remedial action would be taken soon to ensure that southern Thailand continues to be the destination of choice for Malaysians. Meanwhile, Faizul Nasruddin, 40, from Banting in Selangor said he and his wife found it worth their while to ride their motorbike for more than eight hours to get to Hat Yai for their holiday to enjoy its variety of delicious and reasonably priced food. “Even if there is congestion at the land crossing, I will still come because there is no other place quite like Hat Yai.” Hasbul Hisyam Yusuf, 42, from Terengganu, said he took advantage of the school holiday to take his family on a vacation to Hat Yai. – Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: Issues related to the rulership of Negeri Sembilan should be resolved through dialogue, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Stressing the importance of respecting the Negeri Sembilan Council of Justice and Laws, he said such an approach would be more appropriate than taking the matter to court. He was speaking after attending the opening ceremony of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Day 2026 yesterday. Matters related to rulership problem should be resolved through dialogue, says DPM

“For Johor, the matter is almost settled, and tomorrow (today) I will hold discussions with BN component parties, particularly MCA, for the party to finalise it. As for Umno, it is nearly complete. “ Insya-Allah , we will fully finalise the matter next week and announce it one week before nomination day,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president. The Election Commission has announced that a special meeting on the 16th Johor state election would be held on June 12, while for Negeri Sembilan, official notification of the dissolution of the state legislative assembly was received on Friday. The Johor assembly, which has 56 seats, was dissolved on June 1, followed by the 36-seat Negeri Sembilan assembly on June 5.

On Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government continues to recognise the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, and remains committed to upholding the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers’ institution in the country. Anwar said although the federal government is not directly involved in issues concerning the rulership of Negeri Sembilan, the dignity of the royal institution must continue to be protected and all prescribed procedures and regulations must be followed, Bernama reported. In a separate development, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said the allocation of seats for the Johor state election has almost been finalised.

The launch of Malaysia Fair 2026 in Jakarta on Friday, featuring Siti Nurhaliza, was a colourful and grand event. – BERNAMAPIC

Malaysia Fair 2026 launched in Jakarta JAKARTA: The Malaysia Fair 2026, a one-stop showcase of the nation’s healthcare, tourism, education and cultural attractions, is now underway here as the country intensifies efforts to attract more Indonesian visitors.

Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.” He said a new direct route linking Jakarta and Kota Bharu in Kelantan would commence on June 16. Suriaghandi said Malaysia Fair 2026 reflects MHTC’s commitment to strengthening the presence of the Malaysian healthcare sector in Indonesia, its most important market. He said Jakarta remains a key gateway for Indonesians seeking first-rate, reliable and timely healthcare services in Malaysia. According to MHTC, Indonesia generated about RM2.2 billion in healthcare travel revenue in 2025, up 23% from the previous year. More than 970,000 Indonesians travelled to Malaysia for medical treatment, contributing nearly 66% of the industry’s total healthcare travel revenue.

Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim said Indonesia remains one of Malaysia’s most important tourism markets, with more than 4.3 million visitor arrivals recorded from the country in 2025. Also present were Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta Charge d’Affaires Farzamie Sarkawi, MHTC CEO Suriaghandi Suppiah and Tourism Malaysia Jakarta director Hairi Mohd Yakzan. Mohd Amirul Rizal said the growing travel demand between the two countries has been supported by strong air connectivity, with more than 610 direct flights operating weekly offering over 110,000 seats, Bernama reported. “From Jakarta alone, there are 224 direct flights every week connecting Indonesia with various key destinations in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Subang,

The four-day event, which opened on Friday at Gandaria City Mall, is jointly organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) and Tourism Malaysia in support of the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026 and Visit Malaysia 2026 campaigns. Malaysian music icon and MHTC brand ambassador Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin added star power to the opening ceremony, captivating visitors with several of her popular hit songs. It also featured cultural dance performances and a teh tarik demo by Malaysia’s “TehTarik King”.