PETALING JAYA: Member of Parliament Maria Chin Abdullah on Monday was sentenced to seven days in jail by the Shariah Court for contempt of court. The court found her guilty of insulting the Shariah Court by way of a statement she made on the court’s judgement in the custodial related case of Emilia Hanafi and her ex-husband, Naza group joint Chairman Datuk SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin in 2018. The Petaling Jaya MP had implied discrimination by the court against Muslim women in her statement, referring to the week-long jail sentence on Emilia for rescheduling her ex-husband’s visitation dates for her children. Justice Fouzi allowed a stay of execution on Maria Chin’s jail sentence, pending the filing of Maria’s formal application to appeal at the Syariah Court of Appeal within 14 days from Monday.
KOTA KINABALU: Member of Parliament for Kota Kinabalu Chan Foong Hin on Monday urged the Federal Government to use part of the windfall tax collection from Sabah’s oil palm plantations to tackle unemployment in the state as well as cushion and assist all employers in Sabah with the increase in minimum wages to RM1,500.00. Based on the projected higher prices for palm oil and an estimated income of RM600 million in windfall tax from Sabah, Chan Foong suggested that a part of this could be spent on Sabah. It could be used as wage subsidy to cushion and assist all employers in Sabah with the increase in minimum wages to RM1,500.00. For example, employers in Sabah continue to pay RM1,200.00 and the federal government top up RM300.00 in the employees’s EPF Account 3 which can be withdrawn anytime.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KLSICCI) on Sunday elected Nivas Ragavan as its new President for the term 2022-2024. He garnered 306 votes against T. Selvam who received 270 votes. Members of the business chamber also elected in VKK Rajasekaran as Deputy President with 285 votes. Other posts filled in for the term included a vice chairman, treasurer and council members.
News In Brief: World
WASHINGTON, DC: During the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings here, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and other senior members of IMF management met with a Sri Lankan delegation, led by Finance Minister Ali Sabry and Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe and discussed policy actions to address economic challenges. A statement issued by Masahiro Nozaki, mission chief for Sri Lanka, following the meeting, said the discussions covered recent economic and financial developments in Sri Lanka, the need for implementing a credible and coherent strategy to restore macroeconomic stability, and the importance of stronger social safety nets to mitigate the adverse impact of the current economic crisis on the poor and vulnerable. The IMF team welcomed the authorities’ plan to engage in a collaborative dialogue with their creditors. “Going forward, the IMF team will support Sri Lanka’s efforts to overcome the current economic crisis by working closely with the authorities on their economic program, and by engaging with all other stakeholders in support of a timely resolution of the crisis.”
–WE