News
Mahathir loses in Langkawi, his first electoral defeat since 1969
KANGAR, Perlis –Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad lost his seat in Parliament after residents of Langkawi on Saturday voted to put Perikatan Nasional (PN) in control of the island constituency.It is the 97-year-old’s first defeat in Malaysia’s parliamentary elections since he lost in 1969.
The Langkawi seat was won by Datuk Suhaimi Abdullah from PN, with 25,463 votes, or 38.1 per cent of the vote share, on Saturday.Tun Dr Mahathir managed to garner only 4,566 votes, or 6.8 per cent – less than the 12.5 per cent vote threshold required to keep his deposit as a candidate.
Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Armishah Siraj came in second with 11,945 votes, or 17.9 per cent of valid votes. Datuk Armishah is a member of the Kampung Kuah Umno branch in Langkawi and is familiar with issues on the ground.In comparison, Dr Mahathir won 54.9 per cent of the 34,527 valid votes in the 2018 General Election, beating BN’s 29.1 per cent.Dr Mahathir’s loss comes despite widespread appreciation for his contributions in Langkawi.
He is widely respected for bringing prosperity and development to the island by declaring it a tax-free haven in 1987, when he was Malaysia’s premier. The move drew a slew of tourism investments, including an international airport, ferry services and luxury hotels.
This loss deals a final blow to Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), which contested a total of 121 parliamentary seats, 13 of which were in Kedah.Kedah, which includes Langkawi, is also Dr Mahathir’s home state.
Voters were unconvinced by Dr Mahathir’s promise of repairing the country’s economy and bringing back foreign investments and jobs by eradicating corruption within the government and cleaning up some RM42 billion (S$12.7 billion) in national debt racked up by former prime minister Najib Razak.There were also voters who had grown disenchanted with Dr Mahathir’s leadership after he resigned as prime minister in 2020 and failed to hand over the reins of government to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as promised.
The Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 03 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, during a special operation conducted in the northern sea area off the Delft Island, Jaffna on the night of 17 Mar 25.
Taking into account the impact of those practices on the livelihood of local fishermen, the Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing boats, trespassing into island waters.
The seized boat and the three Indian fishermen were brought to the KKS Harbour and they will be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mailadi, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings
News
Police under greater pressure to track down IGP on the run as CA rejects bid to stay arrest order
Having dismissed the writ petition filed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon on the run, the Court of Appeal yesterday (17) ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest him and produce him in Court.
The IGP sought an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court on February 28 against him in connection with the shooting incident that took place in Weligama, Matara, on Dec, 31, 2023.
The Court of Appeal bench, comprising its Acting President Justice Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake dismissed the petition without a hearing.
The petition filed by Tennakoon before the Court of Appeal was earlier taken up for consideration on March 12 but the decision was put off to March 17.
The IGP’s legal team made a last minute bid to prevent an arrest order by submitting a motion requesting an opportunity to submit additional documents related to the case.
However, in terms of an agreement between the Attorney General (AG) and the counsel of six other policemen implicated in the Weligama shooting, the AG ordered the CID not to arrest the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and five other policemen implicated in the case.
UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena on Sunday alleged that during the 1987-1990 period, the JVP killed approximately 1,960 UNPers.
The former Minister told the media that the Batalanda Commission report had given that figure in its third chapter. Addressing the media in Colombo, the former parliamentarian said that the JVP had targeted both UNP and leftist politicians during their second abortive insurgency.
The UNP victims included two General Secretaries of the party, Nandalal Fernando and Harsha Abeywickrema.
Abeywardena said that those demanding action against the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the basis of the Batalanda Commission report, had conveniently forgotten the atrocities perpetrated by the JVP.
The JVP-led NPP won both presidential and parliamentary polls last year.
Navy seize an Indian fishing boat poaching in Northern waters
Allen, Seifert and bowlers combine to hand NZ 2-0 lead in rain-shortened contest
Israel launches ‘extensive strikes’ on Gaza with more than 100 reportedly killed
-
Foreign News3 days agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Features5 days agoRichard de Zoysa at 67
-
News6 days agoAlfred Duraiappa’s relative killed in Canada shooting
-
Midweek Review6 days agoRanil in Head-to-Head controversy
-
Features2 days agoThe Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
Features5 days agoSL Navy helping save kidneys
-
News3 days agoDPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Features2 days ago‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece