Thailand allies with Dutch in ‘water war’ as floods deepen with climate change
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2022
Thailand tapped Dutch water-management expertise in bilateral talks on Thursday that also promised “concrete cooperation in trade and investment … clean energy and agriculture”, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
A Thai delegation led by Asi Mamanee, director-general of the Department of European Affairs, participated in the 2nd Thailand-Netherlands Political Consultations in The Hague, after bilateral talks were suspended due to Covid-19.
Thailand is seeking to upgrade its water management as climate change brings more severe weather conditions that forced tens of thousands to flee their homes during weeks of flooding from August to October this year.
Thailand is already tapping Dutch expertise in flood defences under an agreement signed between the countries last year.
The ministry said Thursday’s meeting also explored ways to tighten economic, environmental, clean/renewable energy, agriculture industry and technology, tourism and cultural cooperation, and to promote exchanges of business and trade personnel.
Both sides swapped views on international issues such as the crises in Myanmar and Ukraine and relations between Asean and the EU. The crises, as well as trade relations between the regional blocs, will be high on the agenda when Thailand joins next month’s Asean-EU Commemorative Summit in Brussels.
Talks on the stalled EU-Asean free trade agreement are also expected.
The Thai delegation also visited Deltares Delft, a Dutch institute of applied research in water and infrastructure, and talked with its Asia expert Tjitte A Nauta about further cooperation in water management.
For many, ‘Black Friday’ has become synonymous with overconsumption and customers fighting to get the best deals. In Belgium, however, for some, it has gone too far.
Rather than seducing their customers with massive sales, Belgian fashion brand Xandres decided to take part in a ‘Green Friday’, a sustainable alternative to its insatiable counterpart. As part of this campaign, the brand closed all its thirteen shops in Belgium on Friday and instead took the day to repair worn-out clothes its customers had returned to them – free of charge.
Inside their headquarters near Ghent, Belgium, over 100 employees of Xandres, including CEO Patrick Desrumaux, gathered to dust off and stitch up the almost 600 bits of clothing they had been given.
“Black Friday is really a festival of sales, buy as much clothing as possible at as much discount as possible and that doesn’t fit in the sustainable philosophy that we stand for and instead of ‘Black Friday’ we are participating in ‘Green Friday’.” The CEO told Reuters.
“All the shops are closed, the webshop is closed and instead of buying we are going to grant a longer life to clothes by repairing all the clothes that were brought in.”
Other shops also took part in this durable counterweight to ‘Black Friday’. Chain store ‘Dille & Kamille’ also closed for the day in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Their employees got together to do voluntary work in nature reserves and parks in their respective countries.
Tycho Hauwaert, a policy expert on circular economy and industry at the Bond Beter Leefmilieu, said ‘Black Friday’ “fans the flames of throwaway consumption” and mentioned the importance of reflecting on our consumption behaviour.
Opinions on the sale bonanza of ‘Black Friday’ were split in the streets of Ghent, with former florist Bart Vanderelsken calling it ‘a rip off’ and claiming he has noticed lower prices hidden underneath ‘Black Friday’ labels in the past.
On the other hand, 19-year-old student Roef Stevens said he took advantage of lowered prices to buy some items he had been planning on buying for a while already.
Not everyone was aware of the promotion of Xandres, with Herrebaut Erna’s ambitions to buy a dress today cut short by unexpectedly closed doors. Nonetheless, she supported the initiative and would return another day.
Germany must decide where Patriot missiles are stationed, says Polish president
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2022
It is Germany’s decision where its Patriot air defence units are stationed, the Polish president said on Friday, adding that it would be better for Poland’s security if they were on Ukrainian territory near the border.
Germany said on Friday it was discussing with allies Poland’s request that German Patriot air defence units be sent to Ukraine after Nato’s chief suggested the military alliance might not oppose such a move.
Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead.
“From a military point of view, it would be best if they were located in Ukraine to also protect Polish territory, then they would protect both Ukraine and Poland most effectively,” Andrzej Duda told a news conference in Kaunas, Lithuania. “But the decision rests with the German side.”
Speaking alongside Duda, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for the strengthening of the EU’s sanctions policy, including adding Russian judges of the Constitutional Court and Rosatom to the sanctioned list.
The European Union is pressing ahead with a ninth sanctions package on Russia in response to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said during a visit to Finland on Thursday (November 24).
All you need to know about Malaysia’s unity government
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2022
A unity government is formed by a coalition of parties that can comprise several main blocs alongside smaller parties. In a unity government, parties from opposing sides of the political divide can form a government and govern together.
Constitutional expert Prof Shamrahayu Ab Aziz said that the royal decree issued on Thursday by the Malaysian King to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister did not specify the form of government to be constructed, although the King had previously suggested a unity government.
A unity government is a unique power-sharing structure that is formed when no single bloc gains a sufficient majority to form a government.
She said a unity government is thought to be one of the main choices because it is considered capable of achieving unity among the Malaysian communities.
“For this purpose, political parties and political players play an important role to celebrate differences and strengthen unity,” she said.
The form of government is a privilege owned by the prime minister, who will also advise the King on the appointment of the Cabinet.
However, the King’s suggestions for a unity government must be given the highest consideration, she added.
“The selection of members of the Cabinet is the right of the prime minister, who at the same time determines the type of government that will serve the country.
“Even so, the recommendations or advice of the KIng about the type or form of government recommended by the King need to be given the utmost attention by the prime minister and the relevant parties.
“This is because the decree of the King is not merely a suggestion but an order that must be obeyed,” said Prof Shamrahayu.
In 2018, after resigning as prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad proposed the idea of leading a unity government across the political divide as a way out of the country’s political instability.
Other countries that had been under a unity government include Italy, Greece, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Israel, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Meanwhile, Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that he plans to invite the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition – a bitter rival to his Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the general election – to join the unity government that he leads.
Speaking at his first news conference as premier, Anwar said the rights of the Malay majority and Malaysia’s official religion of Islam will be protected, but that he will also defend the rights of all other ethnic groups and all Malaysian territories.
“I am proposing that Perikatan Nasional consider whether they are ready to support the government which is now strong and stable” to uphold the King’s decree, Anwar said.
“This is a national unity government. All are welcome on condition that you accept the fundamental rules of good governance, no corruption, and Malaysia for all Malaysians,” he said.
The news conference was held at a golf club in Sungai Long near Kajang town in Selangor state, on the edge of capital city Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier on Thursday, PN leader Muhyiddin Yassin asked Anwar to prove his parliamentary majority.
He said PN had 115 lawmakers supporting the coalition on Tuesday, when the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, asked for PH and PN to send in their list of lawmakers.
The number is above the minimum 112 seats needed to control the 222-strong Parliament.
Muhyiddin had on Tuesday rejected joining the unity government offered by the King.
On Thursday, Anwar said he will call for a vote of confidence to show his majority on the first day of the sitting of Parliament, on Dec 19. “So the concern of legitimacy will not arise,” he said.
Apart from his PH coalition, which has 82 seats, the Prime Minister said the members of his unity government are Barisan Nasional, with 30 seats, and Gabungan Parti Sarawak, with 23. This would make a total of 135 seats.
Speaking about the Malay-Muslim majority, which had mostly voted for PN, he said that their rights will be protected.
“I am firm in the efforts to raise the status of the Malay language as the national language. I understand the need to elevate the status of Islam as the official religion of the federation, the special position of Malays and bumiputera, as contained in the Constitution, and our system of governance that ensures the respected and sovereign status of the Malay rulers,” he said.
He added that while the Malay race and culture, and the Islamic religion, are key foundations, the new government will also guarantee the rights of all other ethnic groups and religions, and all territories of the country.
On the differences in the manifestos of various parties in his unity government, Mr Anwar said he will never compromise on core issues, such as the need for good governance, judicial independence and eradication of corruption.
Most importantly, he will address the cost of living issue to protect the welfare of ordinary people, he added.
Anwar is taking helm of the country as the economy is rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic and experiencing high inflation, like most countries around the world.
He said: “My main focus will be the economy. I am grateful because today, the situation and investors’ confidence have changed. The ringgit has strengthened and the stock exchange is energised.”
Both the stock market and the ringgit performed strongly on Thursday on optimism over Anwar’s appointment.
Anwar Ibrahim’s long journey to become Malaysia’s PM
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2022
As Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim prepares on Thursday to take over as prime minister following an unprecedented hung Parliament, one of his recent comments serves to sum up the persistence that secured him the job he has eyed for three decades.
“This you need to learn from Anwar Ibrahim – patience, wait a long time, patience,” the opposition leader told reporters outside his home a day after Saturday’s election gave his progressive bloc the most seats in Parliament, but not a majority.
The political uncertainty came to an end on Thursday, as Malaysia’s king appointed Anwar, 75, to be prime minister.
Time and again, the job of prime minister had eluded Anwar, despite getting within striking distance over the years, first as deputy prime minister in the 1990s and later, as official prime minister-in-waiting, in 2018.
In between, he spent nearly a decade in jail for sodomy and corruption on charges he says were politically motivated.
The most charismatic opposition leader the south-east Asian nation has ever seen, Anwar led tens of thousands of Malaysians in street protests in the 1990s against his mentor-turned-foe Mahathir Mohamad.
His strained relationship with the veteran leader shaped Anwar’s own career, as well as Malaysia’s political landscape, for nearly three decades.
Mahathir once called Anwar his friend and protégé, and anointed him his successor. But later, amid sodomy charges and disagreements over how to handle the Asian financial crisis, he said Anwar was unfit to lead “because of his character”.
The two buried the hatchet briefly in 2018 to oust from power the political alliance they once belonged to – only to fall out again within two years, ending their 22-month-old government and plunging Malaysia into a period of instability.
As opposition leader – both from jail and in Parliament – Anwar slowly chipped away at the might of the Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance, Malaysia’s longest-ruling coalition that prioritised the interests of the majority Malays.
His rallying cry of ‘reformasi’, or reforms, resonated nationwide, and is still the main promise of his alliance.
That coalition is multi-ethnic and includes a party that has mainly ethnic-Chinese members and one that is unpopular with the conservative Malay majority.
For decades, Anwar has called for inclusiveness and an overhaul of the political system in the multi-ethnic country.
He called for the removal of affirmative policies favouring Malays and an end to a patronage system that had kept Barisan firmly in power until recently.
Anwar started off as a firebrand Islamic youth leader before joining then prime minister Mahathir’s Umno, which leads the BN alliance.
In 1993, Dr Mahathir made Anwar his deputy, in addition to his role as finance minister. Anwar was expected to take over from Dr Mahathir.
But they fell out after disagreeing over how to handle the Asian financial crisis. By that time, Anwar had also begun to question corruption in the Mahathir-led Umno.
In 1998, Dr Mahathir fired Anwar and, amid the ensuing protests, launched a crackdown on dissent. Anwar was charged with sodomy, a crime in Malaysia, in a move Mr Anwar said aimed to put an end to his political career.
Anwar appeared at his sodomy trial with a black eye, which then became the symbol of the political party he started. Later, the police chief at the time admitted to having assaulted Mr Anwar in prison.
“This man cannot be allowed to become a leader in a country like Malaysia,” Dr Mahathir said about Mr Anwar at a press conference in 1998.
Anwar was freed in 2004, only to be jailed again for sodomy in 2015, two years after leading the opposition to its best electoral performance yet.
The opposition won the popular vote for the first time, despite not securing a parliamentary majority, after years of having gradually gained ground.
In an astonishing turn of events, Anwar and Dr Mahathir agreed to work together for the 2018 election, to oust BN amid widespread graft accusations against its leaders.
Barisan’s Najib Razak has since been jailed in the multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.
After their win, Dr Mahathir asked for a royal pardon for Mr Anwar and promised to hand power to him within two years.
But their coalition collapsed before that in the face of opposition to the transition, leaving Mr Anwar out in the cold again.
He even faced calls to step down before the election as some believed he had held on for too long.
In a recent interview, Mr Anwar said he knew his limits, when asked if this election would be his last. “Whether I am considered relevant or not in the next few years, that’s for the people to decide,” he said.
With the people’s vote and the king’s choice, he finally became prime minister.
Anwar Ibrahim to be sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister at 5pm
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2022
Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim will end a 24-year wait to lead Malaysia at 5pm Thursday, when he will be sworn in as Prime Minister.
The Palace said in a statement that the King made the decision after conferring with other rulers in a special meeting of the nation’s nine state monarchs.
“After going through the views of the Malay rulers, His Majesty has consented to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister,” said Royal Comptroller Fadli Shamsuddin on Thursday afternoon.
This comes after most parties agreed to Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah’s proposal for a unity government after Saturday’s general election threw up Malaysia’s first-ever hung Parliament.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Anwar and his rival Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief Muhyiddin Yassin had been deadlocked and unable to gather the 112 MPs needed for simple majority in the legislature.
After Umno confirmed early Thursday that it would join a unity government, departing from the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s earlier stance of remaining in opposition, other parties across the country have followed suit.
Even PN said on Thursday it would consider unity government discussions with like-minded parties.
The Straits Times has learnt that a deal struck between PH and BN – which found itself in the role of kingmaker with 30 MPs despite the Umno-led coalition being humiliated at Saturday’s vote – will see Umno gaining several senior portfolios, with the party’s number two Mohamad Hasan set to be installed as deputy premier.
Anwar’s ascension to the top office, having been sacked as deputy premier in 1998 amid controversial allegations of sodomy and abuse of power, marks a remarkable triumph following a journey that included two stints in prison.
He was appointed deputy prime minister under Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Umno-led government in 1993, but his prospects dimmed after he was jailed for corruption in 1999. His imprisonment sparked street protests and the birth of his PKR, which now leads PH.
Anwar was again imprisoned in 2015 for sodomy, but was given a royal pardon and released in May 2018 after PH won the general election that year. Dr Mahathir, who had left Umno and joined hands with Mr Anwar to secure PH’s victory, became the Prime Minister.
The PKR chief was then widely expected to ascend to power as part of an agreement within PH for him to take over as prime minister in two years from Dr Mahathir. But his progress was again thwarted when the PH government collapsed in February 2020 following defections.
Anwar and Muhyiddin both staked their claim after their respective coalitions won 81 and 73 seats respectively in Saturday’s general election which also saw Dr Mahathir fall from grace in a thumping defeat.
Sultan Abdullah stepped in on Tuesday to surface the idea of a unity government. Muhyiddin’s decision to reject the proposal, claiming he had a simple majority with backing from other parties, proved fatal to his hopes.
Parents grieve for children killed in deadly Indonesia quake
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022
Parents of children killed in a deadly earthquake that hit Indonesia grieved were trying to cope with grief on Wednesday, as authorities said the death toll had risen to 268.
Lala Latifah, the mother of 8-year-old Anisa who died from her injuries after being taken to a clinic, told Reuters she had a hard time letting go of her daughter.
“She was a good girl, she always did what her parents would tell her… but I pray to God that I can someday let go, and give her my blessings,” Latifah said.
The parents of Anisa’s best friend, Vira, recalled seeing their daughter’s body being recovered from beneath piles of debris.
“When I saw it happen, I couldn’t handle it. Seeing my daughter’s condition, her body and face all had injuries,” said Vira’s father Ujang Nurdin, a public bus driver.
Siti Maemun, a teacher at the school Anisa and Vira attended, said 20 children were killed when a deadly 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck the town of Cianjur in West Java, about 75 km (45 miles) southeast of the capital Jakarta, on Monday (November 21).
Maemun said they were unprepared for an earthquake of such a large scale.
“We’ve always made sure that since primary school, students are taught by teachers to get out of class quickly if an earthquake happens and to find cover. But this earthquake was huge, and we couldn’t do anything,” she said.
Ujang Nurdin and Rian Solihat, hold a portrait of their daughter Vira Aprilianti, an 8-year-old student who was found dead under the ruins of a Madrasah that collapsed during an earthquake in Cianjur, Indonesia, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Stefanno Reinard
Disaster agency chief Suharyanto told reporters that more than 1,000 people had been injured, 58,000 displaced and 22,000 houses damaged.
Wednesday’s recovery efforts will shift to Cugenang, a hard-hit district near Cianjur, where at least one village is believed to have been buried under a landslide. Helicopters are expected to drop emergency supplies to two more cut off by blocked roads.
Straddling the so-called Ring of Fire, a highly seismically active zone where different plates on the earth’s crust meet, Indonesia has a history of devastating earthquakes.
Ujang Nurdin and Rian Solihat, hold a portrait of their daughter Vira Aprilianti, an 8-year-old student who was found dead under the ruins of a Madrasah that collapsed during an earthquake in Cianjur, Indonesia, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Stefanno Reinard
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