DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Malaysia's PM Anwar says cabinet of ministers to be smaller
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Malaysia's new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday said the cabinet of ministers in his government will be smaller compared to previous administrations. In a news conference, he also said support for his ruling coalition exceeded two-thirds majority in parliament. Reporting by Mei Mei Chu Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia’s king names Anwar Ibrahim prime minister after inconclusive election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protégé of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy and opposition leader. His appointment ends five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could usher in a new instability with his rival, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, challenging him to prove his majority in Parliament. Both men failed to win a majority in a Saturday election, but the constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, appointed Anwar after speaking to several lawmakers. Anwar, 75, has time and again been denied the premiership despite getting within striking distance over the years: He was deputy prime minister in the 1990s and the official prime minister-in-waiting in 2018. Anwar’s coalition, known as Pakatan Harapan, won the most seats in Saturday’s vote with 82, while Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional bloc won 73.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Becomes Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Appointed Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is due to be sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Malaysia's former ruling bloc may back Anwar in PM race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Malaysia's former ruling coalition indicated that it may support opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, reversing a decision to stay neutral and potentially helping resolve a political stalemate. The Barisan coalition will not support a government that is led by ex-premier Muhyddin Yassin's alliance, its biggest component party said, though it did not make any reference to Anwar. King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan will meet with other senior royals on Thursday to help decide who will become prime minister. The constitutional monarch plays a largely ceremonial role but can appoint a premier he believes will command a majority in parliament. The king had suggested that both the leaders work together to form a "unity government", but Muhyiddin declined the proposal.

☆ Malaysia PM Anwar: We have seen a change that has awaited the people of Malaysia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Malaysia's new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his swearing in was a change that Malaysians have waited for and pledged to keep Islam as the official religion of the country. The 75-year-old longtime opposition leader was sworn in on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy and opposition leader. Reporting by Rozanna Laitff; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim: Who is Malaysia's new prime minister?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Malaysia's new prime minister, 75-year-old Anwar Ibrahim, was sworn in on Thursday, bringing to a close his three-decade quest for the job that had eluded him time and again and led to him spending nearly a decade in jail. As opposition leader, Anwar led tens of thousands of Malaysians in street protests in the 1990s against his mentor-turned-foe Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar started off as a firebrand Islamic youth leader before joining then prime minister Mahathir's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which leads the Barisan Nasional alliance. Anwar's appointment as prime minister brings an end to a political crisis after an election on Saturday ushered in an unprecedented hung parliament. Between stints as deputy prime minister in the 1990s and as official prime minister-in-waiting in 2018, Anwar spent nearly a decade in jail for sodomy and corruption on charges he says were politically motivated.

☆ Reaction to Anwar Ibrahim's appointment as Malaysian prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Malaysia's king appointed long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister on Thursday, ending five days of unprecedented post-election crisis after inconclusive polls. Anwar's appointment caps a three-decade long political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, to a prisoner convicted of sodomy, to opposition leader and, finally, prime minister. The former finance minister and deputy prime minister will have to address soaring inflation and slowing growth, while calming ethnic tension that has flared since a Saturday election. ADIB ZALKAPLI, DIRECTOR AT POLITICAL RISK CONSULTANCY BOWERGROUPASIA:"With the appointment of Anwar as the 10th prime minister, this is a closure to the longest-running political crisis in Malaysia that began 24 years ago when he was sacked by the prime minister Mahathir Mohamad .... So it's an important closure, Anwar has been the longest-serving potential prime minister candidate.

☆ Reformist Anwar finally becomes Malaysia's prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( A. Ananthalakshmi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tambun, Perak, Malaysia November 4, 2022. The political uncertainty came to an end on Thursday, as Malaysia's king appointed Anwar, 75, to be prime minister. His strained relationship with the veteran leader shaped Anwar's own career, as well as Malaysia's political landscape, for nearly three decades. FRIEND & FOEAnwar started off as a firebrand Islamic youth leader before joining the prime minister Mahathir's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which leads the Barisan Nasional alliance. With the people's vote and the king's choice, he finally became prime minister.

☆ Malaysia’s Anwar becomes prime minister, ending decades-long wait
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy, and opposition leader. Both men failed to win a majority in a Saturday election, but the constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, appointed Anwar after speaking to several lawmakers. Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia's prime minister on Thursday, ending a political impasse. Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesMalaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (right) appointed Anwar (left) after consulting with lawmakers. The decision on the prime minister came down to King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after both Anwar and Muhyiddin missed his Tuesday afternoon deadline to put together a ruling alliance.

☆ Malaysian king calls council of sultans to resolve election crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah waves to media members waiting outside the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor HussainKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Malaysia's king on Wednesday called a special meeting of his fellow hereditary sultans to discuss who should be prime minister as an unprecedented post-election crisis entered its fourth day. King Al-Sultan Abdullah made his announcement of a special council after meeting lawmakers from the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition. Anwar's coalition, known as Pakatan Harapan, won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional bloc won 73. Police this week cautioned social media users to refrain from posting "provocative" content on race and religion after the divisive election.

"We continue to be on high alert and will aggressively remove any violative content," TikTok, which is owned by the China-based firm ByteDance, said in a statement. TikTok said it had been in contact with Malaysian authorities on severe and repeat violations of its community guidelines since the lead-up to the election. One of the alliances hoping to form a government is a conservative, largely ethnic Malay, Muslim group led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. SULTANS TO MEETReuters reviewed about 100 videos on TikTok, some of which featured people displaying weapons such as knives and machetes. In response, a flood of videos explaining the history of the May 13 violence have surfaced with many ethnic Malay users calling for unity and criticising those inciting violence.

☆ Malaysia's wait for PM continues for fourth day as post-election crisis drags on
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Election workers prepare a polling station ahead of the polling day of Malaysia's general election at Permatang Pauh, Penang, Malaysia November 18, 2022. Malaysia's king will pick the new premier, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin missed his Tuesday afternoon deadline to put together an alliance with other parties to form a government. The constitutional monarch plays a largely ceremonial role but can appoint a premier he believes will command a majority in parliament. Anwar's coalition won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's bloc won 73. Muhyiddin said he had declined the King's suggestion for the two rivals to work together to form a "unity government".

☆ Malaysian police warn of ethnic tensions on social media after divisive election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Malaysian police have cautioned the country's social media users to refrain from posting "provocative" content on race and religion after a divisive general election on Saturday that ended in a hung parliament. The police warning comes as race-based narratives dominated political chatter on social media during and after the election, according to an online hate speech monitoring project run by the Malaysia-based Centre for Independent Journalism. Race and religion are thorny issues in multicultural Malaysia, which has a majority of mostly Muslim ethnic Malays alongside significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities of other faiths. Police said they had detected social media content that touched on racial and religious sentiments and insulted the country's monarchy after the election. Malaysian social media users on Monday reported a slew of posts on short video platform TikTok after the election that mentioned a deadly race riot in Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 1969.

☆ Explainer: Who is Malaysia's king and why is he picking the prime minister?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah ascended the throne in 2019 at the age of 59, becoming Malaysia's 16th monarch since it gained independence from Britain in 1957. The silver-haired, bespectacled Al-Sultan Abdullah became king after the surprise abdication of the previous king. The king appointed Muhyiddin prime minister in February 2020 when then-premier Mahathir Mohamad resigned due to coalition infighting. The king has summoned 30 lawmakers from the Barisan Nasional alliance for a meeting on Wednesday to determine who becomes prime minister. Whoever is eventually named prime minister is likely to face more political turbulence of the kind that has plagued the country in recent years.

☆ Malaysia's Anwar, Muhyiddin rush to meet deadline to form government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Significant election gains by an Islamist party also added to investors' fears, notably over policies on gambling and alcohol consumption. Anwar's coalition entered negotiations with Barisan Nasional, the incumbent coalition and Anwar's longtime rival, on Monday to discuss a potential alliance. Anwar's multiethnic coalition won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's bloc won 73. It would be another astonishing turnaround in Malaysian politics if Anwar and Barisan forged an alliance: as opposition chief, Anwar has spent much of his career trying to oust Barisan. For the 2018 election, Anwar tied up with mentor-turned-foe Mahathir Mohamad to defeat Barisan.

"Let me make a decision soon," the king told reporters outside the national palace. The king had given political parties until 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Tuesday to put together alliances needed for a majority. Significant election gains by an Islamist party added to investors' fears, notably over policies on gambling and alcohol consumption. Its electoral gains have also raised fears in multicultural Malaysia, which has significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities following other faiths. Anwar's coalition won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's bloc won 73.

☆ Malaysia's king will make a decision about PM appointment soon - state media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR Nov 22 (Reuters) - Malaysia's king will make a decision about appointing a new prime minister soon, state media Bernama reported on Tuesday, citing the palace. The palace also asked the public to accept any decision King Al-Sultan Abdullahmakes about forming the new government, according to Bernama. Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia's king calls Anwar and Muhyiddin for an audience -palace
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah called on Tuesday the two main contenders to be prime minister - opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin - for an audience at 4.30 pm (0830 GMT), the palace said in a statement. Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi, Rozanna Latiff and Mei Mei Chu; Writing by Ed Davies Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia's incumbent ruling coalition agrees to be opposition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Malaysia's incumbent ruling coalition said on Tuesday it agreed to be in opposition after deciding not to support any coalition to form a government. Barisan Nasional and incumbent PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob made the announcement on Twitter. It was unclear who would form the next government as Saturday's general election resulted in a hung parliament. Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmit; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia's Anwar 'optimistic' of forming govt after talks with potential partners
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he was "very optimistic" of forming a government after holding talks with the incumbent ruling coalition to get the required majority. Anwar said he met with the some leaders of the Barisan Nasional coalition for their support and was "very pleased" with the talks. No final decision has been made, he said. Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Mei Mei Chu, writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia's Muhyiddin, Anwar race to form government as turmoil drags on
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Malaysian former Prime Minister and Perikatan Nasional Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin waves as he leaves after Malaysia's 15th general election in Shah Alam, Malaysia November 20, 2022. Anwar's multi-ethnic coalition won the most number of seats in the Saturday election with 82. King Al-Sultan Abdullah, whose largely ceremonial role includes the power to appoint as prime minister a lawmaker he believes will command a majority, could play a decisive role. Massive corruption, mostly related to the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (IMDB), for which former prime minister Najib Razak was jailed earlier this year, seriously wounded UMNO's image. During his time in opposition, Anwar spent a decade in jail on convictions for sodomy and corruption, which he says were politically motivated.

Significant election gains by an Islamist party also added to investors' fears, notably over policies toward gambling and alcohol consumption. Anwar said he met with some leaders from the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition on Monday to discuss a potential alliance. "I am satisfied as this negotiation was on the need to form a stable government that's inclusive. Its 30 seats in parliament is key for both candidates to cross 112 seats needed to hold a majority. On Monday, Anwar's coalition partnered with Barisan to form regional governments in two states, which also saw inconclusive elections.

☆ Explainer: What to expect as Malaysia's split election leaves scramble to form govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Mei Mei Chu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The logo of Malaysia's election commission is pictured at its headquarters in Putrajaya, Malaysia, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor HussainKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Malaysia's political leaders were scrambling to form a coalition government on Sunday after an election produced an unprecedented hung parliament, with no group able to claim a majority. Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin each said they could form a government with support from other parties, whom they did not identify. It made inroads in strongholds of Barisan, whose United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) - long Malaysia's dominant political force - made its worst showing ever. KING'S ROLEKing Al-Sultan Abdullah could potentially pick the next prime minister.

☆ Malaysia Goes to the Polls After Years of Political Instability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Millions of voters are headed to the polls for national elections that were called early in an effort to end political instability that led to two leadership changes in as many years, with several shaky rival coalitions fighting to firm up their power. The polls are the first since a historic vote in 2018 when the party that had ruled the Southeast Asian country since its independence in 1957 was defeated following a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. That outcome raised hopes for cleaner and more democratic governance, but optimism faded as political infighting hamstrung the government and the ousted coalition found its way back into power.

Search resuls for: "Kuala"

25 mentions found