🇲🇾Week of November 2

The Election Commission has fixed 28 November as nomination day for the 13th Sarawak state election, with polling set for 12 December. The dates were announced on Friday, opening the contest known as PRN13.1234

Abang Johari said Gabungan Parti Sarawak has not yet decided its list of candidates for the contest. The coalition's lineup was still unsettled as the commission confirmed the election calendar.5

Abdul Karim said young voters should not be underestimated in the Sarawak election. His remarks were carried as the state's parties prepared for the 12 December poll.6

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said any action against Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain must go through the legal process, and that he will not intervene in the case. He said he sympathises with Shuhaily personally but told the public not to ask him to interfere.1234

Anwar also said an officer's good performance or service cannot be used as a reason to set aside an investigation. His remarks were carried by Sinar Harian and other outlets.56

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution said a replacement for Shuhaily has not yet been discussed. The question of who takes over the post remains open.7

Ronald Kiande called for a law to give all members of Parliament equal allocations. The proposal was reported by Berita Harian.8

Malaysia began disbursing the fourth phase of its Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid, with RM1.1 billion going to 5.4 million recipients. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the payout, and the Finance Ministry confirmed the phase had started.123

New recipients and applicants whose appeals were approved will receive payment from 16 November, according to the state broadcaster. The earlier tranche, Phase 3, had gone to 5.3 million recipients.45

Eligible parents can receive up to RM500 under the phase, a family-focused outlet reported. The payout was framed as reaching more than five million people on its first day.61

Bernama reported that the effectiveness of STR and the SARA programme should be judged by the overall benefits they deliver, rather than by the size of the disbursement alone.7

Public donations collected to pay Najib Razak's RM50 million fine are still not enough, Asyraf Wajdi said, as reported on Thursday. He also denied reports that Najib would pay the fine that day.1234

On Wednesday, Malaysian media reported that the RM50 million fine was expected to be paid that day, and reporters began gathering at Najib's house. Najib's lawyer said no instruction had been received on the payment.56

Asyraf Wajdi said the donations were "still not enough" and "not right", remarks carried by Astro Awani and Sinar Harian. The same statement was reported by Utusan Malaysia.789

Attributed claim: The reports on the fine and the donation drive appeared across pro-government outlets Utusan Malaysia, Astro Awani and Harian Metro, oppositional Malaysiakini and centrist Sinar Harian. Malaysiakini's account carried the lawyer's statement that no instruction had been given, while Harian Metro reported the payment was expected and media had gathered at Najib's home.75689

Malaysia's National Security Council raised the national cyber security threat level from low to moderate, Siakap Keli reported. The change was announced as the government moved to strengthen preparedness against hybrid attacks and geopolitical pressure.123

Ministries and agencies were ordered to review their service continuity plans, Bernama reported. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government is tightening national readiness against geopolitical threats, Astro Awani reported.45

Private companies are also targets of cyber attacks, Sinar Harian reported, widening the scope of the warning beyond government systems. The threat-level change and the continuity review were carried the same day by state, pro-government and centrist outlets.624

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia is a potential target of cyber and security threats, and that the government is taking proactive steps to strengthen the country's preparedness against global cyber threats and international geopolitical tension. He said the government is shoring up readiness for any eventuality.123

Speaking in Parliament, Anwar said Malaysia could be a target of cyber attacks and asked the public to stay calm while remaining vigilant. Utusan Malaysia reported his warning that Israeli intelligence operations in neighbouring countries could pose a threat to Malaysia.456

The remarks were carried the same day by pro-government outlets Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia and Astro Awani, centrist Sinar Harian and oppositional Malaysiakini, with the same core account of a government push on cyber and security readiness.12364

In a separate Dewan Negara session, Anwar said the government does not interfere in investment approvals at KWAP, which he said are decided by a professional panel.7

MIDF and the World Intellectual Property Organization have concluded the Intellectual Property Financing Pilot Project. The programme was designed to open new financing options for small and medium enterprises using intellectual property as collateral.12

Banking institutions are being pressed to explore intellectual property financing and to widen lending backed by IP assets. The call was carried by pro-government outlets Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia and by state broadcaster Portal Berita RTM.345

IP-based financing is presented as a new opportunity for SMEs, which the pilot's backers say have lacked access to credit secured on intangible assets. The push follows the close of the MIDF-WIPO pilot.21

Flash floods have struck four times in 30 days, affecting almost 550 homes, according to Ramanan. The flooding also closed all lanes at KM9.1 of the NKVE highway.12

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered flood mitigation projects to be accelerated and additional aid to be provided for victims. Residents in Shah Alam appealed to the prime minister to resolve the flooding and congestion there.34

In one incident, a child carried elderly parents to safety while a mother rescued a four-month-old baby.5

The MADANI government has agreed to improve career progression for senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced. The decision was carried by pro-government outlets Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian and by state broadcaster Portal Berita RTM.1234

Anwar was named as the source of the announcement in the reports, which described the government's agreement to improve the career advancement of senior ATM officers.12

By Thursday, Berita Harian reported that the government was still studying methods to improve the promotion process for senior ATM officers, indicating the details of the change were not yet settled.5

The High Court in Seremban on Monday allowed the Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) to be added as third defendant in a suit filed over the cancellation of the appointments of 10 former state executive councillors. The same court rejected an application by the DKU secretary, Raja Norazli, to intervene in the case.1234

The ruling leaves the DKU a party to the suit while its secretary is not. The case concerns the scrapping of the 10 former exco appointments in Negeri Sembilan.124

The decision was reported by Berita Harian, Harian Metro, Kosmo Online, Utusan Malaysia and The Edge, which gave the same core account: the body was admitted, its secretary was not.12354

Utusan Malaysia framed the ruling around whether the Negeri Sembilan crisis is about to end.5