15/07/2026

WEDNESDAY | JULY 15, 2026

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Queen, Singapore first lady visit autism centre

KUALA LUMPUR: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, accompanied Singapore First Lady Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam on a visit to the Bangi Autism Service Centre yesterday. The visit was held in conjunction with the state visit of Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Malaysia, which began on Monday, according to a post on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s Facebook page. Jane Ittogi was received on arrival by Her Majesty and Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim. Also present were the wife of the prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. Raja Zarith Sofiah and Jane Ittogi later toured the centre’s key

facilities, the Activities of Daily Living Room, Occupational Therapy Room and gymnasium, where they observed its holistic approach and daily living skills training for individuals with autism. In her welcoming remarks, Nancy said 93,199 individuals with autism had been registered with the Social Welfare Department as of last June. She added that the number was expected to continue rising with growing public awareness and better access to screening and diagnostic services. The Bangi Autism Service Centre is operated through a strategic partnership between the public sector and NGOs, namely the National Autism Society of Malaysia and the Damansara Damai Community Based Rehabilitation Centre. – Bernama including

Raja Zarith Sofiah (2nd left) and Jane Ittogi (3rd left), accompanied by Tunku Tun Aminah, observe staff members of the centre interacting with an autistic child. – PIC COURTESY OF SULTAN IBRAHIM SULTAN ISKANDARFACEBOOK PAGE

‘Green Wave’ to face fresh test in Negeri Sembilan

‘Rumah Bangsa helped draw Malay voters to BN’ PETALING JAYA: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Rumah Bangsa initiative has helped draw Malay voters back to BN, according to a political analyst. Viewfinder Global Affairs managing director Dr Adib Zalkapli said the initiative is bearing fruit as seen in the recent two-thirds majority garnered by the BN coalition. “Rumah Bangsa appears to be working. Malay voters are returning to BN,” he told theSun . Adib said BN also benefited from running a stronger campaign than its rivals and was “rewarded by the voters of Johor”. He added that Johor had never been an easy state for PH, which struggled to present a compelling alternative. “PH did not have credible leaders to challenge BN or a clear narrative for their campaign.” International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst Dr Syaza Shukri said BN’s victory also reflected voters’ confidence in Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Umno’s leadership in the state. “People have been talking a lot about frustration with PH, but I think the decisive win shows that people have confidence in Onn Hafiz and Umno’s leadership in Johor. “I think people want continuity, and they don’t see the need to change the state government at this point. We could even say Umno’s dominance in Johor is confirmed and that 2018 was just a deviation.” She added that PH’s campaign strategy had failed to resonate because it focused more on national issues instead of state concerns. “I think PH’s weakness in terms of strategy was focusing on national issues. “We understand that it is their strength, but the result shows that voters are looking at local issues for the state election.” – By T.C. Khor government bloc and one from the Opposition. Malacca Opposition leader Dr Mohd Yadzil Yaakub, during the debate, said the Opposition supported the Bill as it could strengthen the state legislative institution if implemented properly through a transparent mechanism focused on the people’s interests. Using the appointment of members of the Dewan Negara at the federal level as an example, he said individuals with expertise, experience and contributions to the country could play a role in the legislative process. – Bernama

established base than it possessed in many Johor constituencies, but they cannot be considered automatically safe.” Mohammad Tawfik said the Johor result also pointed to a limitation in the PAS campaign approach. “It shows that PAS cannot depend solely on religious and Malay unity narratives in a state where voters also prioritise administrative performance, local leadership and economic delivery.” He added that the coalition’s greatest challenge was continued uncertainty over the relationship between PAS, Bersatu and Umno. “Voters may hesitate to support candidates who contest under one coalition but appear prepared to cooperate with another after the election.” He said the Johor outcome suggested that when PAS supporters were offered a credible Umno candidate, some could return directly to Barisan Nasional rather than continue supporting PN. “Negeri Sembilan will not necessarily reproduce Johor’s result. Candidate quality, incumbency, seat negotiations and local Malay voting patterns will be decisive.” He also said PAS and Umno were already in discussions, with PAS accepting that Umno would remain the dominant force and indicating it would not demand the menteri besar position.

He added that while state elections inevitably had some bearing on one another, each contest was shaped primarily by state issues. “State elections typically concern more state than national issues, and each state has its peculiar political configuration.” Oh said Negeri Sembilan presented a different political landscape from Johor, where PAS was still seeking to expand its support. “Negeri Sembilan is one state where PAS is trying to make inroads and where the economy is not performing as spectacularly as Johor, on top of the seemingly incessant power struggles among various levels of elite. “It would be interesting to observe how much further PAS could penetrate.” PN currently holds five of the 36 seats in the Negeri Sembilan state assembly. PAS holds Serting, Paroi and Bagan Pinang, while Bersatu represents Labu and Gemas. Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub described Johor’s outcome as a warning for PN but emphasised that Negeri Sembilan would not necessarily produce the same result. He added that while PAS failed to win any of the 11 seats it contested in Johor, its 2,143-vote defeat in Maharani indicated the party still possessed a meaningful local base in selected areas. “These seats provide PN with a more

o Poor performance of PAS in Johor not sign of national decline: Analyst

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: After failing to gain traction in Johor, Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) “Green Wave” will face its next electoral test in the Negeri Sembilan state election, as political analysts view it as a measure of the coalition’s ability to expand beyond its traditional strongholds. Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia principle adviser Dr Oh Ei Sun said Johor had shown that the Green Wave did not materialise as some had anticipated. “It would have been a worrying resurgence of the Green Wave if, for example, PAS had won more seats than before, but that ultimately did not materialise.” However, he cautioned against reading PAS’s poor Johor showing as a sign of national decline, adding that the party retained considerable strength in its traditional heartland states as well as in more urbanised states.

Malacca passes amendment to appoint more assemblymen MALACCA: The Malacca State Legislative Assembly passed a Bill to amend the state constitution to pave the way for the appointment of up to seven nominated state assemblymen. The Malacca State Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 was passed with the support of 23 assemblymen, while five voted against it yesterday. Disaster Management Datuk Rais Yasin. Ab Rauf said the amendment aims to strengthen representation in the state assembly by allowing the appointment of individuals with expertise and experience in fields such as law, economics, education, investment, technology and state development to contribute directly to policymaking and legislative debates. He added that the move would also create opportunities for underrepresented groups. communities, professionals and industry representatives who may not succeed through the electoral process but could contribute meaningfully to the state’s development.” He also said the amendment would also improve the quality of debates in the state assembly by strengthening checks and balances, with appointed members able to provide more technical and objective views on Bills, policies and state administration issues.

The Bill was brought forth by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh and seconded by Senior State Executive Councillor for Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change and

The amendment was subsequently debated by three assemblymen, two of whom were from the

“The appointments could enhance the participation of women, youth, Orang Asli , minority