Latest news with #PMX
Focus Malaysia
3 days ago
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
PMX should minimise speaking off the cuff on unfamiliar subject: GST ain't 'General Services Tax'!
'SHOULD 5% appear too small. Be thankful I don't take it all.' Those immortal lyrics were a sarcastic jab aimed at Her Majesty's revenue collector and sung by the Beatles way back in 1966 in the tune Taxman. Those same sentiments appear to remain valid in Malaysia in 2025. The target of Malaysians' ire? Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is deemed the 'Taxman' by virtue of him helming the Finance Ministry Apart from imposing the Sales and Services Tax (SST) which is proving unpopular, PMX has been attacked for making a muddle of the issue. For starters, he referred to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as 'General Services Tax' in a speech at the Madani Rakyat programme in Lumut, Perak on Sunday (June 15). Such slip-up though unintended has proven costly in light of the widening trust deficit whereby detractors – both external (the opposition) and internal (from within his own political party) – are scrutinising every word that comes out of PMX's mouth like never before. With due respect, perhaps it is high time for PMX to take a step back from his fondness to speak off the cuff to instead read prepared script by his policy officers to minimise blunders especially on areas or topics that are not his forte. After all, why waste the effort of his speech writers who are all funded by Malaysian taxpayers yet their work is hugely unappreciated (barely used). Just treat this as a temporary antidote till the storm has calmed lest detractors are to capitalise on his missteps to the extent of harping on his academic past – 'this is the level one can expect from a (Malay) literature graduate in managing the nation's economy or financial matters'. Malaysians are well aware of PMX's past as a versatile/fiery orator but economic or financial matters are complex and cannot be easily mastered even by the subject matter experts given their constant evolving nature. 'Anwar Ibrahim proves that speaking based on a PDF is better than blabbering off the cuff,' a pro-opposition key board warrior pointed out on X in response to PMX's purported reference to GST as 'General Services Tax'. Anwar Ibrahim membuktikan bahawa berucap berdasarkan PDF adalah lebih baik dari menyembang ikut anak tekak. Sudahnya kantoi selama ni dia sendiri tak lepas maksud GST. Penatlah cytro nak counter lepas ni. — MY 🇲🇾 🇵🇸 (@saythenameayy) June 16, 2025 'In the end, he got caught off guard for not understanding the meaning of GST himself. (Pakatan Harapan) cytros are going to have a tough time countering this.' Also taking a potshot at PMX is former UMNO information chief Isham Jalil who teased the former for 'not fully comprehending GST and SST yet dare to tell others to attend courses on the matter'. 'He claimed that GST is General Services Tax or general tax. After that he expounded that GST is a tax for everyone, ie a general tax. This is not true,' contended Isham who was once a special officer to incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak (GST was introduced during the Najib administration). 'And he further claimed that SST is a tax on imports. If this is a slip of the tongue, we can forgive him. But this is not the case because he elaborated his understanding. This shows he doesn't know or understand at all about GST and SST. 'What a misfortune for Malaysians to have such a Finance Minister.' Another who gleefully attacked PMX was Tygrysku (@ashkravat) who accused the PKR president of being confused over such a fundamental issue. 'PMX said GST is General Services Tax – meaning all items are taxed at a flat rate of 6%. Clearly, he doesn't understand and is wrong which is terrifying because he is the Finance Minister and PM who is responsible for our tax policy,' justified the netizen. PMX kata GST tu General Services Tax — semua benda cukai pukul rata 6%. Clearly dia tak faham dan terkhilaf which is terrifying because he is the MOF and PM, people responsible for our tax policy. Dulu tak semua benda pun kena GST and ada item zero rated juga. Fundamental issue — Tygrysku (@ashkravat) June 15, 2025 'Even in the past, not everything was subject to GST for there were zero rated items as well. Fundamental issue.' – June 18, 2025
Sinar Daily
4 days ago
- General
- Sinar Daily
Indonesians and Malaysians recorded as laziest walkers in the world
A global study by Stanford University ranked countries based on how little their people walk. By MERAK JALANAN 27 May 2025 11:25am Photo for illustration purposes only. THIS author wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel a little embarrassed when reading this headline: "Malaysians and Indonesians crowned the laziest walkers in the world." Believe it or not, this isn't some internet joke. It's a proper global study by Stanford University, which ranked countries based on how little their people walk. The only silver lining? Indonesia came out on top, while Malaysia landed in third place... luckily. The study involved 717,000 people across 111 countries, using data to calculate the average number of steps taken per person each day. Indonesians averaged just 3,531 steps a day, way below the global average of around 5,000 steps. Malaysia didn't do much better, with 3,963 steps per day, earning us a spot in the top three of this list. Honestly, this author isn't surprised Malaysians were labelled as lazy walkers. It's not far from the truth. At the office, people want to get a parking spot right by the entrance. A slightly longer walk? Cue the complaints. The study also pointed out some key reasons behind our low step count. Among the issues is that sidewalks are often blocked by motorcycles, vendors, or worse, they don't even exist in some places. And let's face it, in both Indonesia and Malaysia, motorcycles and cars tend to take priority (over pedestrians). But let's not put all the blame on the people. Our blazing hot weather doesn't exactly encourage strolling around either. Sweating buckets isn't anyone's idea of a good time. If you happen to bump into PMX, do us all a favour. Tell him it's time to make Malaysia a pedestrian-friendly country.
Focus Malaysia
5 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Excessive backlash prompts PMX to disable comment section of some FB, Instagram posts
NEVER before had Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim been so badly trolled particularly on social media platforms till it warrants his social media administrators to disable comments, particularly those related to his presence at the recent 18th PKR national congress. Such was the sentiment aired by a few supposedly disgruntled PKR supporters or more specifically the faction of Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli who was ousted in the party's deputy presidency race by PMX's daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar. 'PMX turn off the comment section on his Facebook posts regarding the PKR Congress (he is most popular at FB with 2.7M+ followers),' fumed hafizubai🇵🇸 (@hafizubai1) on X. 'Our PM is refusing to hear people's voice. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Najib ever do that? Heck even Muhyiddin or Ismail Sabri ever did (that)? Shameful!' Another furious PKR backer Zaz (@ThIsIs_Zharif) wondered what has PKR become till PMX has to shut down his FB comment section. 'Afraid of the rakyat? Is this how you manage the pulse of the rakyat? A clown party!' Anwar Ibrahim pun mula tutup komen di Facebook? 😂😂 Keadilan ni dah jadi apa? Takut dengan Rakyat? Macam ni cara kamu uruskan denyut nadi rakyat? Parti badut! — Zaz (@ThIsIs_Zharif) May 24, 2025 The social media-savvy netizen went on further to reveal that the comment section of six FB posts had bed been turned off while querying if 'this us the way the Bapa Reformasi evade the people's anger'? In an update, Zaz observed that the comment section on PMX's FB section was disabled from '7.17am to 7.20am' yesterday (May 25) with a check by FocusM revealed that commenting is limited to 'only people who have followed this page for more than 24 hours'. Apart from FB, a few netizens also reported that the comment section on PMX's Instagram in which he boasts 1.2M followers has also been disabled/limited. At the end of the day, one PMX fan who has been looking up to him as an idol since young expressed sympathy to the former while stating that 'such is the price that he must pay for supporting the foolish Damai (Nurul Izzah's) team'. 'For the first time, PMX has to close the comment section because 95% of the comments criticised him,' he penned on X. Aku simpati pd PMX antara idola aku yg aku sokong dari muda. Itulah harga yg perlu dibayar kerana team Damai yg bahalol. Buat kali pertamanya PMX terpaksa tutup ruang komen krn 95% komen hentam beliau. Kamu mengajar kami 'lawan tetap lawan' dn kami sambut 'lawan tetap lawan' — Ezzad_AR (@EzzadAR) May 25, 2025 'You taught us lawan tetap lawan (fight on, keep fighting) and we respond with lawan tetap lawan.' – May 26, 2025
Focus Malaysia
5 days ago
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
PMX needs to bridge widening trust deficit; even his call to pay more for avocado gets ridiculed big time!
ONE can imagine that whoever the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election strategy director is, he or she would be scratching his/her head as to how to defend the coalition's chairman ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16) which must be held before end-November 2027. Never before had Malaysians at large being so hyper critical with statements that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made – presumably they would previously take with a pinch of salt if the Madani government founder went off tangent with statements articulated in bombastic Malay or English for he still merits respect as the Prime Minister. But no longer so in recent times! Over the weekend, trolling was prevalent when PMX zeroed in on avocado by alluding that the expanded sales and services tax (SST) on imported goods targets wealthy consumers, hence the latter must be willing 'to pay a bit more' compared to fruits grown for local consumption such as banana and jambu batu (guava). However, PMX who is also the Finance Minister ended up getting criticised for having been detached from reality for his speech at the Madani Rakyat programme in Lumut, Perak yesterday (June 15). 'Can Anwar explain why local fruits are so terribly expensive? In the Klang Valley, rambutan are priced from RM10-RM12/kg, banana (RM7.50-RM8.50/kg) small pineapple (RM7/kg) and the same apply for watermelon and mangoes,' one netizen summed up for hundreds of online commenters. 'Durian is beyond most people's reach. People buy apples and oranges because they are cheaper than local fruits. 'Please don't insult us with the avocado example. If the government wants us to eat local fruits, please control the prices and not let the businessmen go havoc. 'With the SST on imported fruits, B40 Malaysians won't be able to afford fruits in their diet. The government is making the health of Malaysians worse. This is Reformati, not Reformasi!' Unprecedented trolling Even reiterating his commitment to continue clamping down on leaders who practice corruption regardless whether he receives widespread support or otherwise not only failed to convince the masses but worse, only invited a slew of jeering. Saya akan terus banteras rasuah tak kira dapat sokongan atau tidak – PM — Malaysiakini (BM) (@mkini_bm) June 14, 2025 The detractors pointedly trained their guns on Deputy PM Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who been granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for his 47 charges, including criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering involving the Yayasan Akalbudi funds. Or when will the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) start pursuing the wealth amassed by Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak who was formerly PMX's political secretary? Imagine how detractors just would not spare PMX some breathing space even for a safe topic such as youth empowerment on his own Facebook page. To re-cap, PMX's trust deficit gap has been widening at an alarming pace ever since the run-up to the May 23 PKR central leadership poll whereby his role as the party's president came under massive scrutiny amid cries that the reformasi spirit is dead. The backlash from PKR grassroots was so intense especially after incumbent deputy president Rafizi Ramli lost the second most powerful post in the party which effectively helmed the Madani government to PMX's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar with accusation of nepotism reverberating across the party. Retaliation from his own party members was so overwhelming in the aftermath of the PKR polls that PMX's social media administrators had to disable comments, particularly those related to his presence at the recent 18th PKR national congress on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. – June 16, 2025 Main image credit: Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook
Focus Malaysia
6 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
PKR grassroots snub PMX as ring general Rafizi sticks to his guns on quitting Cabinet
COLD shoulder is what PKR president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gets from his own party's grassroots as he made a last-ditch attempt to dissuade Economy Minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli from leaving the Madani government effective tomorrow (June 16). In fact, his reasoning that he accorded Rafizi – the former PKR deputy president – and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad leave to think over their decision to quit only invited ridicule from the pro-Rafizi faction which laments the death of the reformasi spirit. I prefer Rafizi, Nik Nazmi rejoin cabinet – PM — (@malaysiakini) June 12, 2025 On May 28, Rafizi and Nik Nazmi resigned with honour as ministers after both failed to defend their deputy president and vice-president posts during the PKR central leadership polls five days earlier. Nik Nazmi's leave is until July 3. The snubbing became more intense as Rafizi had on Friday (June 13) dropped by his office for one last time to clear his belongings alongside a tribute to five overseas-trained policy officers who will return to their respective fields. Saya masuk ke pejabat buat kali terakhir semalam dan hari ini (Jumaat) untuk urusan-urusan terakhir, termasuk mengemas pejabat. Saya ingin ambil kesempatan ini untuk memperkenalkan beberapa orang yang banyak membantu saya mengusahakan inisiatif ekonomi di bawah Kementerian… — Rafizi Ramli (@rafiziramli) June 13, 2025 A slap of the face of his party president was what Rafizi had done, insinuated one grassroots member, alluding to the act of Rafizi clearing his office a day after PMX persuaded him to re-consider his resignation. 'Nice move, Raf. Better to die standing than live kneeling,' he cheered. Another learned PKR supporter chastised PMX and eldest daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar for their power-hungry prowess at the expense of the nation's progress. 'I hope both of you are happy being drunk with more power than before!! Look what you have done to the country's think tank!!' fumed the self-proclaimed engineer by discipline. 'YB Rafizi, Jalan terus (march forward) for you didn't lose them; in fact they have lost you! My utmost respect to you & your team, Sir! 🙏🙏🙏🙏' Knowing that PMX's plea would not make Rafizi change his mind, the former's senior political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Akin did chip in to urge Rafizi and Nik Nazmi to remain in Cabinet by consoling the duo to 'berjiwa besar' (magnanimous) in accepting defeat rather than 'to sulk' due to anger. However, a brickbat flung his way when he was accused of being 'hypocritical' by Tuaran PKR division chief Razeef Rakimin who pointed out that Shamsul was among the earliest to voice support for Nurul Izzah to challenge Rafizi for the deputy presidency. 'If Shamsul had wanted Rafizi to be berjiwa besar, this should have started at the beginning of the party election when Anwar as our party president asked for Rafizi to be given an easy path and be maintained as his deputy,' chided the Sabah PKR information chief in s statement cited by Malaysiakini. 'Since it was (your) intention to see Rafizi removed, I believe a PKR leader shouldn't be hypocritical after being successful in getting rid of Rafizi and several of his associates.' Elsewhere, special officer at the Economy Ministry Thiban Subbramaniam offer these words to explain Rafizi's baldness: 'One thing about YBM Rafizi Ramli is that he's committed to his job. If he enters office at 8am, he only leaves the office at 11pm most of the time. 'Why is he getting bald? Because he uses his brain to go through each and every single thing to ensure the people get the best! He doesn't rely on others. That's his leadership style. ✌️' – June 15, 2025 I get to know Ben and James when I was at Ministry, this two brainy guys leave their high paid jobs just to rebuild the economy. They never stepped into politics but their hard works along with @rafiziramli set the benchmark. One thing about YBM Rafizi Ramli, he is committed to… — Thiban Subbramaniam 🇲🇾 (தீபன் சுப்ரமணியம்) (@Thiban_ben) June 13, 2025
