Indonesia’s top court dismisses appeals by presidential rivals Anies, Ganjar against Prabowo’s election win

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JAKARTA: Indonesia’s legal judge has rejected lawsuits filed by presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, who lost in February’s presidential election against defence secretary Prabowo Subianto.  

During a marathon court session in Jakarta on Monday ( Apr 22 ), the court ruled in favour of completely rejecting the appeals seeking a rerun of the presidential election in a five-three decision.  

The election decision, which cannot be appealed against and was the last legal remedy for both Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar means the result of the national surveys may be upheld, clearing Mr Prabowo’s journey to becoming the country ’s next leader.

The standard results released by the political committee on Mar 20, showed Mr Prabowo won a landslide victory of 58. 59 per cent of the ballot, compared to Mr Anies ‘ 24. 95 per share and Mr Ganjar’s 16. 47 per share.  

In their requests to the Constitutional Court Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar claimed that the poll was marred by widespread crooks and argued that government organizations, local leaders, and state-sponsored social support programmes had been misused by outgoing president Joko Widodo to influence the votes in favour of Mr Prabowo.  

The courts ruled there was no evidence to support those claims.

” The defendant’s petition has no constitutional basis in its remainder,” said Chief Justice Suhartoyo.

Judge Arsul Sani stated,” The Court does not see any causation between the distribution of social support and the raise in vote for any member, ”

The requests had also sought to disqualify Mr Prabowo and his evil political running mate, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the government’s eldest son, on basis of social violations.  

Mr Gibran’s election was made feasible by a questionable decision from the top prosecutor presided over by his aunt, former Chief Justice Anwar Usman.  

Prof Anwar was barred from participating in the presidential election claims for breaching the judges ’ code of ethics.    

Despite the moral violation, the judges said there was no proof of nepotism or political disturbance regarding that decision.

Mr Anies, former governor of Jakarta, informed the press at the courthouse that he would issue an official statement in response to the ruling later in the evening ( Apr 22 ).

Mr Ganjar and his running mate, Mr Mahfud MD, have conceded battle and accepted the court decision.  

The ruling party PDIP’s presidential candidate congratulated Mr Prabowo.

More monitoring by Kiki Siregar.

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Hong Kong begins phasing in disposable plastics ban

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Michael Lin, a home appliance organizer, said he would not mind paying for high-quality, eco-friendly items. ” Sometimes report tablewares are also thin- that’s more of a trouble,” Lin said. However, business authorities warned that companies could lose 30 % if they replace plastic cutlery with eco-friendly items like wood,Continue Reading

North Korea fires ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan say

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SEOUL: North  Korea  fired” several” short-range ballistic missiles on Monday ( Apr 22 ) towards the sea off its east coast, South  Korea’s military said, drawing a sharp criticism from Seoul, which called it a grave danger to balance on the  Asian island. Chinese authorities even stated a beach guard andContinue Reading

PM Anwar reiterates Najib house arrest bid up to Pardons Board; stresses unity in Malaysia government

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SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has refused to be drawn into former premier Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his six-year jail sentence under house arrest. 

“The decision must be made at the Pardons Board meeting and the final decision by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must also be made at the meeting,” said Mr Anwar in his speech at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) 25th anniversary convention on Sunday (Apr 21), according to The Star.

Malaysia’s Pardons Board consists of the attorney-general, the chief minister and a maximum of three others appointed by the country’s king or state ruler. In Najib’s case, Dr Zaliha Mustafa – as the federal territories minister – is part of the board reviewing his bid. 

On Sunday, Mr Anwar also stressed that relationships among the parties in the unity government were “stable and strong” although there were some issues that needed to be negotiated outside Cabinet, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent affidavit, where he claimed to have seen a royal order supporting Najib’s bid. 

The unity government consists of Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN) – of which the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is a component party – as well as parties from Malaysia’s Borneo states. 

Mr Anwar, who is also PKR president, said that the “voices outside (the Cabinet) do not necessarily represent the voice of the leadership”, according to the Malay Mail. 

“I have to admit that there are a few things that are unravelling outside the Cabinet. But so far there is no sign of even a small rift between PH, UMNO-BN, Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.

Mr Ahmad Zahid is chairman of the BN coalition, and president of Najib’s party UMNO. He was Najib’s political secretary during his tenures as youth minister and minister of defence in the late eighties and early nineties. 

Mr Anwar first said that the matter concerning Najib’s remaining sentence fell under the Pardon’s Board’s jurisdiction when speaking to reporters on Apr 19. He also said then that he did not want to get involved in the matter. 

Najib’s bid for house arrest and Mr Ahmad Zahid’s statement have caused backlash and accusations of  impunity and special treatment against Mr Anwar and his deputy, according to South China Morning Post.

On Apr 17, CNA sighted a copy of the affidavit, claiming Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had shown Mr Ahmad Zahid a copy of a royal addendum order approving house arrest for Najib, who has been serving his sentence in Selangor’s Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022 . 

The royal order was reportedly issued by Malaysia’s former king Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billahwas Shah of Pahang.

According to Mr Ahmad Zahid, Mr Tengku Zafrul showed him a photograph or scan of the royal order during a meeting at his house on Jan 30, a day after a Pardons Board meeting which halved Najib’s initial 12-year sentence. 

Mr Tengku Zafrul has issued a statement disputing the claims as having “certain factual errors”.

The affidavit was filed with Kuala Lumpur Crown Court on Apr 9. Whether Najib’s push for house arrest will be successful will be determined on Jun 5. 

Analysts CNA spoke to believe that the affidavit and its surrounding drama could cause a rift between UMNO and the unity government, as the latter does not want to be seen as “freeing” Najib. 

Najib was arrested on Jul 3, 2018, as part of an investigation into the 1MDB scandal. In 2020, he was found guilty of seven charges of corruption for illegally receiving US$9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of the government fund.

Mr Ahmad Zahid himself also faced 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), bribery and money laundering in relation to his charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) in 2018. 

In September last year, he was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on all 47 charges. However, the High Court has since set Jun 27 to decide a leave application by the Malaysian Bar to challenge the attorney-general’s decision to halt the proceedings against the deputy prime minister, Bernama has previously reported. 

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Malaysia benefits from foreign firms moving their manufacturing facilities from China, amid trade war

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STEADY INCREASE IN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has also been on a beauty rude, travelling abroad to woo high-tech opportunities.

In March, he delivered a presentation handle at the annual SME Future Day 2024 in Berlin, where he gave an open invitation to European companies, as well as businesses across Europe, to invest in Malaysia.

“We are of training at your service, we may employ. When you need ( the ) China market, then you need an important base in Malaysia, ” Mr Anwar said during the event.

Since 2021, the country has seen a steady increase in foreign direct investment ( FDI) in the tech sector, with both Intel and fellow chip tycoon Infineon Technologies investing US$ 7 billion in projects that go beyond packaging, assembly, and testing.

Hungarian software giant AT& While American intel Nvidia and native conglomerate YTL are working together to create a multi-billion money artificial intelligence fog and supercomputer infrastructure in Malaysia, S produces high-end circuit boards.

NOT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE Income Bonuses

Given the fierce competition from neighboring Indonesia and Vietnam, Malaysia don’t simply implement tax incentives as it moves up the value network. Additionally, it is said to be dealing with restrictions in its native supply chains.

Former deputy minister of global trade and industry for Malaysia, Mr. Ong Kian Ming, said some businesses are struggling to find the right kind of competent and human resource to integrate into the habitat with higher value-added production or solutions.

We’ve seen instances of Taiwanese companies entering Malaysia in the past that do not totally connect with the regional supply chain, he noted.

“ What this means is that the local SMEs ( small- and medium-size enterprises ) in Malaysia and other companies, they are not able to benefit from the FDI coming into Malaysia. ”

The Indonesian government is also looking beyond its borders for opportunities to network with Indonesian businesses and investors, particularly government-linked purchase firms.

Mr Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, said the state is “institutionalising the procedure where we ask local businesses to also have a interest in the game”.

He most recently disclosed that the government is developing a proper semiconductor strategy to update existing laws and opportunity packages in order to stay competitive in the sector.

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Singaporean chef Yew Eng Tong uses as many as 18 ingredients in one dish

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The initial meals previously provided a good idea. First, they aren’t little morsels. The gorgeous tartlet, which featured raw broccoli and cream, seafood that had been marinated with white kombu, light shoyu, fried light kombu, salty fingers, cresses, and crispy arctic char skin, took two bites to destroy. A potatoes gratin takoyaki with red garlic, cream, and black garlic was adapted from a recipe Yew when made for a Bocuse d’Or contest.

A corn bright shaped like a fish bone perched awkwardly at the top, layers of fish sauce in smoked sauce and truffle parfait, and a baked jellyfish ink brioche base. I deconstructed mine with little reluctance, admiring how the components managed to hold their own while playing wonderfully with each other.

As a student, Yew helped at his father’s soybean seed coffee stall in Bedok and learned how to make bean curd. However, because his circle of friends was small, I did n’t want to be like my dad because I was 16 years old and ready to see the world. I wanted a bigger circle of friends. ”

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Maldives pro-China ruling party tipped to win election

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MALE: The Maldives ‘ ruling party is set to win a two-thirds majority in Sunday’s ( Apr 21 ) parliamentary election, local media said, a result likely to push the Indian Ocean island nation further towards China and away from its longtime ally India. President Mohamed Muizzu’s People’s National CongressContinue Reading

China’s ambassador to Canada leaves his post

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Cong Peiwu, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, has since left his post and returned to China, according to a source with knowledge of the situation on Sunday ( Apr 21 ), with the news coming during a senior Canadian diplomat’s visit to the Asian nation. Without being immediately available, additionalContinue Reading