Malaysia

Equanimity, the US$250 million (S$342 million) superyacht allegedly owned by Low Taek Jho, Malaysian financier on the run and one of the central figures in the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, was brought back to Malaysia on 8 August with the assistance of Indonesian authorities. According to the press release by the Attorney-General of Malaysia, Mr Tommy Thomas, the …

Singapore has expressed its reluctance to review the price of water originally stipulated under the 1962 Water Agreement, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday on 31 July. In a meeting between Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in Singapore during the latter’s introductory visit on 30 July, …

An in-principle approval has been granted by the Malaysian Cabinet regarding the Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) project, according to the country’s Transport Minister, Mr Anthony Loke. Mr Loke said yesterday on 30 July that a joint operating company between Malaysia and Singapore will be established once a full approval is granted, according to Malay Mail Online. Spanning 4 kilometres …

Three taxation-related Bills were tabled in the Malaysian Parliament today on 31 July, including the GST (Repeal) Bill 2018 for its first reading, by the nation’s new Government. The repeal of the 6% GST, or the Goods and Services Tax, was promised to Malaysians in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition’s manifesto. The GST, which was introduced during the previous Barisan Nasional …

The rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Malaysia are still subject to existing laws in the country, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mujahid Yusof Rawa on 23 July. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, he reasoned that the government took note the majority of Malaysians’ backlash against public expressions of the LGBT community. Translated …

Laws that are considered draconian will be repealed by the new Government, particularly the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), said Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Speaking at the Coalition of Klang Chinese Associations´(CKCA) Tabung Harapan Fund Raising Dinner on 23 July, he highlighted the unfairness of SOSMA, which was enacted during former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s tenure. Dr Mahathir …

The Malaysian government is currently looking into lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18, said Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. In an interview with Bloomberg, he said that the new Government is aiming to work with the Attorney-General’s Office in an effort to identify the relevant laws and policies that will require revision or …

In an interview with Bloomberg, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has estimated that approximately US$3.5 billion, or RM14.2 billion, worth of funds that were siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) may be recovered. The amount cited by Mr Lim equates to 30 percent of the total of US$12.3 billion, or RM50 billion, worth of funds that were purportedly channelled out illegally from …

A letter purportedly written by the top intelligence officer in former Najib’s administration to the Director of Central Intelligence Agency of United States, seeking CIA’s backing for Najib has surfaced. The request made 5 days before the May 9 general election in Malaysia, was said to be Najib’s attempt to obtain the assistance of a foreign intelligence agency and government …

Malaysia will look into negotiating the delay of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project, said Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday. Speaking to reporters at the Malaysian Parliament on 19 July, he said that the decision to negotiate a deferment was made after “having studied it [Malaysia’s financial situation] and the implication of unilaterally discarding the contract”. “When …