Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition helps you connect the dots on the biggest stories playing out in Malaysia every week. Sign up here to get the newsletter in your inbox.
All eyes are on the Istana Negara this week, and not just because a new king, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, ascended the throne today.
Talk of a royal pardon for imprisoned former prime minister Najib Razak has resurfaced, after Cabinet minister Zaliha Mustafa, who sits on the Pardons Board, told reporters on Jan 30 that the board had met at the national palace and that they should wait for its official statement.
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s crackdown on graft continues, with former finance minister Daim Zainuddin being charged for failing to declare his assets. The dragnet has also widened to include businessman Mokhzani Mahathir, the second of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s sons to be questioned by the anti-graft agency.
Shifting gears to the environment, residents of Batu Arang, Selangor, are protesting against a waste incinerator plant that’s set to be built close to where they live. Experts say such plants are necessary as Malaysia runs out of landfill sites to bury its rubbish.
Follow ST’s coverage as we continue to bring you the latest developments and thank you for reading The Straits Times.
Outspoken Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia’s 17th king
He plans to tackle corruption, revive the KL-Singapore high-speed rail during his reign.
Pardons Board reportedly discusses jailed former PM Najib’s case
‘Let’s move on’: Sultan Abdullah calls for political stability at the end of five-year reign as King
He said it was important to have a stable country and government to attract foreign investors.
Waste incinerator plan sparks protests, highlights Malaysia’s landfill shortage
Malaysia’s royal inquiry into Pedra Branca an ‘internal matter’: S’pore MFA
“We do not see this affecting the good bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia,” MFA says.
Malaysians buying gold jewellery ahead of luxury tax roll-out
