The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed the efforts of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to liberalise the economy, saying they were “not going to help anybody”.

The plan seemed designed to make Najib popular, said Dr Mahathir, adding: “It will not help the Chinese, Malays or Indians.”

Dr Mahathir was asked to comment on Najib's steps to open up the economy to make it more attractive for foreign investors.

The steps included relaxing a host of restrictions on foreign investment, including a rule requiring businesses to be partly owned by Malays.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Laura Foong scored 12 As in her O-levels three years ago but her application for an overseas government scholarship was rejected.

But Foong was offered a scholarship by the National University of Singapore and University of Melbourne.

“I have accepted the offer from University of Melbourne to study science and I will be leaving (Malaysia) soon,” said the 20-year-old, who has just completed her A-levels in a private college.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Three men who were believed to have met Mas Selamat Kastari to revive the regional Islamic network Jemaah Islamiah (JI) have now joined him in detention.

The three men, aged between 43 and 53, were arrested on June 25 in Ulu Tiram and Masai in Johor, according to The Star newspaper. They are now being detained under the Internal Security Act.

Mas Selamat, the head of the JI network's Singapore cell, was recaptured in Johor on April 1 after being on the run for more than a year following his escape from a detention facility in the republic.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today asked what did the government spend with the RM253.6 billion payment from the national oil company over the past six years when his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister.

The former prime minister, a trenchant critic of Abdullah, wrote in his www.chedet.cc weblog that Petronas has been paying dividends, taxes, royalty and export duties to the government since 1976, after it was set up as the national custodian for fossil fuels.

"Where has the money gone to?" Dr Mahathir asked.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says Barisan Nasional, including top Umno leaders, as well as the Malays are supportive of the various liberalisation measures he has announced since taking over as Prime Minister on April 3 this year.

He expressed confidence that this would translate into votes for the ruling party in the 13th General Election.

He also said that the spirit of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in its macro form would continue but the instruments used to achieve to restructure society and achieve equality would have to be changed.

“I have engaged with the key players before I announced this and they believe that it is time for us to change, review and move forward. I think people realised that,” he said when asked if his political party was behind him on all the moves he has been doing.

However, with all the measures announced, that does not mean the country has abandoned the need to have more equitable society, as it remains the main goal, he said in an interview with Adam Bakhtiar on CNBC which was aired in its entirety today.

A short version was aired last Wednesday where he touched on the ringgit and the economy.