Malaysia
Travel Malaysia: Best places to visit, craziest things to do
Hailed as the cultural metropolis of the east, Malaysia is one of the most visited countries for holiday goers. By virtue of its horizon-touching tea plantation, luscious beaches, urban cityscapes, and cultural mix, Malaysia is truly a global destination. Apart from the stunning Petronas Twin Tower which Malaysia is so well known for, there are tons of activities and sightseeing options in this sub-pacific nation. With that said, here are 10 must-visit places and crazy stuff to do in Malaysia.
Top 10 Tourist Places to Explore in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
The capital city of the country is also the most happening place for tourists. The downtown architecture of KL is something to mesmerize at. The decades of traditionality mixed with the local and colonial architecture is something to truly mesmerize. Do not forget to visit Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur.
But the best thing about KL has to be its food and shopping districts. There are over 70 shopping destinations in KL, each within a reachable distance from the others. From Ayam Goreng to Masak Mera, travelers will be spoilt for choices when it comes to the exquisitely rich and flavorful local dishes.
Read Monsoon Tourism: Best Places to Visit During the Rainy Season in Bangladesh
Penang
Now let's move on to the west coast of Malaysia – especially the large islands that surround it. Among these islands, Penang stands out for tourists because of the sightseeing attraction. Due to its geographical location, Malaysia has always been graced by trade since the early Middle Ages. The island is home to murals and temples that marks the presence of different cultures over the centuries in these humble plain lands.
Once filled with the architectural beauty of the coast, head over to the Gurney Drive heading to downtown Penang. The road is lined with all kinds of street foods starting from local to middle eastern and Indian cuisines. It’s a multicultural feast bonanza that is highly recommended.
Perhentian Islands
It would be a waste to visit an island nation and not experience the sea. The Perhentian islands comprising of two islands – Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar are a must visit. Kecil island is more geared toward adventure lovers. There’s scuba and snorkeling along with water jets to take the thrill of the seas, up close and personal.
Read Romantic Beach Honeymoon Destinations in Asia
Bangladesh National Football team arrives in Malaysia
Bangladesh National Football team reached Malaysia Thursday evening from Indonesia to participate in the Group E matches of the AFC Asian Cup China' 2023 Qualifiers scheduled to be held there from May 8 to May 14..The players were greeted by football fans at the airport, according to a message received here.In the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Bangladesh have been put in strong Group E with Bahrain, Turkmenistan and hosts Malaysia..
Also read: Bangladesh to play Indonesia tomorrow in FIFA international friendlyBangladesh will play stronger gulf nation Bahrain on June 8, will face Turkmenistan on June 11 and will meet hosts Malaysia on June 14.Bangladesh team, staying at Dorsett Grand Hotel Subang, has a rest day on Friday.Earlier on Wednesday injury-hit Bangladesh National Football team played a goalless draw with upper ranked Indonesia National team in a FIFA Tier-1 International Friendly match at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in the Bandung city of West Java, Indonesia.Bangladesh and Indonesia played each other on six earlier occasions where Indonesia enjoyed upper hand beating Bangladesh four times.. Indonesia beat Bangladesh:by 4-0 goals in the Merdeka Cup in 1975, 2-1 in International Friendly in 1984, 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1985 and 2-0 in another International Friendly in 2008.
Also read: AFC Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings stay in race beating Indian 2nd tier championsBangladesh beat Indonesia once by 2-1 goals in a return leg match of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1985.The remaining match between two teams ended in 1-1 draw in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy in 1985.
Malaysia to start taking workers from Bangladesh this month: Minister
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed on Thursday said that Malaysia will start taking workers from Bangladesh this month.
He was speaking at a press briefing after a Joint Working Group meeting with Malaysian representatives at the ministry’s office in the capital’s Eskaton.
Malaysian Human Resource Minister M Saravanan and some other officials represented their country at the meeting.
Read: Bangladesh seeks Swedish support to overcome climate challenges
Replying to a question Imran said Malaysia will select both the workers and the recruiting agencies according to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries.
“There are a total of 1,520 licensed recruiting agencies in Bangladesh. According to the MoU it’s the right of Malaysia to choose recruiting agencies of their liking”, he said.
Imran added that Malaysia will continue to work towards ensuring zero migration costs. There are some expenses like passport fees and medical costs that have to be borne by the workers themselves.
“Malaysia will cover much of the costs including plane fares”, he said.
The minister also said that earlier, the cost for a single worker for going to Malaysia used to be Tk 1,60,000. This year, the amount will be much less.
Read: In May export income falls to 9-month low at $3.83 bn: EPB
“Malaysia will take stern actions if any recruiting agency breaches the rules while sending workers to the Southeast Asian nation”, added Imran.
According to him Malaysia will take a total of five lakh workers in the next five years from Bangladesh.
Secretary of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Ahmed Munirus Salehin informed that Malaysia plans to take at least two lakh workers from Bangladesh this year.
“Malaysia is interested to take security guards and domestic workers from Bangladesh in the future. Their salaries will be RM 1,500 per month per worker. Malaysia will also ensure their accommodation free of cost”, said Munirus.
PM: Bangladesh to maintain protocols in manpower export to Malaysia
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said Bangladesh will send workers to Malaysia maintaining all necessary protocols, including vaccination and other formalities.
She gave the assurance while visiting Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan called on her at her official residence Ganobhaban.
She also expressed her deep satisfaction in holding the first meeting of the Joint Working Group between the two countries.
She hoped that both sides will be able to devise ways to ensure safe, regular, inexpensive, and orderly employment of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.
Also read: Malaysia will take more manpower from Bangladesh, a visiting minister tells PM
She appreciated the decision of the Malaysian government to recruit Bangladeshi security personnel for non-military civilian use.
Malaysian minister M Saravanan expressed his deep concern over the chance of human trafficking as the implementation of the MoU signed between the two countries gets delayed.
He expressed his satisfaction over holding the ongoing Joint Working Group meeting under the auspice of the MoU on the employment of workers signed in December 2021 between the two countries.
He explained the reorganization of their Human Resource Ministry from the Ministry of Home Affairs and their domestic employment process streamlining following the ILO guidelines.
In this connection, he said that Malaysia has taken 5-Years Action Plan for the Migrant Workers.
To this end, he mentioned they have already increased the minimum wage to RM 1500.
In such a case, Bangladesh could earn US$45 billion in next 5 years with more than 500,000 expatriate workers in Malaysia, he added.
The Minister also said that now they have digitized all employment processes so that every step protects the rights of the migrant workers.
He said that Malaysia only takes online applications from job seekers.
Also read: Bangladeshi, Malaysian recruiters demand end of syndication in manpower business
In this regard, he said that they have installed e-payment directly from the employers to the workers’ salary card account without keeping recruiting agencies in the middle.
The prime minister welcomed the visiting Malaysian minister to Bangladesh during the year of the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
She recalled that Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur relationship stands on a solid base since Malaysia recognized Bangladesh immediately after the independence in 1971.
Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh concede 1-8 goal defeat against Malaysia
Bangladesh conceded 1-8 goal defeat against last time runners-up Malaysia in their 3rd and last Pool B match of the eight-nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey' 2022 at the GBK Hockey Field in Jakarta Thursday afternoon.
With the day's comfortable victory, Malaysia emerged Pool B champions with all-win record securing full nine points from all the group outings.
They dominated the first half by 4-1 goal.
In the another Pool B match, South Korea finished group runners up with six points outplaying all losers Oman by 5-1 goal in their last group match Thursday morning.
Also read: Bangladesh beat Oman to make winning return to Asia Cup Hockey
Despite the day's defeat, Bangladesh finished 3rd in Pool B securing three points from three matches and will play hosts Indonesia, the 4th ranked team of Pool A, on Sunday (May 29) in the 5th/8th place classification match.
Ahead of the Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey' 2022, Bangladesh beat hosts Indonesia 2-1 in a preparatory matches in Jakarta.
Bangladesh also beat Indonesia by 7-2 goal in the AHF Cup Hockey in last March in Jakarta and defeated Indonesia again by 3-1 goal In the Asian Games Hockey Qualifier in Bangkok on May 7 last.
In the day's match, defender cum penalty corner specialist Razie Rahim and midfielder Faizal Saari scored hattricks for Malaysia, scoring three goals each.
Later, Faizal Saari was adjudged the Hero man of the match.
Apart from day's hattrick makers, Aznal Nazmi and Ashran Hamsani scored the remaining goals for Malaysia.
Earlier in the very first minute of the day's match, Bangladesh custodian Biplob Kujur came to the limelight foiling a penalty stroke, taken by Razie Rahim.
Ashrsful Islam, who scored the first goal against Oman in the last match, scored the consolation goal for Bangladesh in the 21st minute (2nd quarter) from a penalty corner.
Also read: Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh to play Malaysia on Thursday
Bangladesh, which made a frustrating start in the ongoing Asia Cup Hockey '2022 after suffering 1-6 goals defeat against South Korea in the first match, but, returned to the winning run beating their traditional rivals Oman by 2-1 goals in the 2nd match.
With the feat, Bangladesh not only assured their 3rd slot in the Group B ahead of Oman, but also took revenge of their 2-6 defeat against Oman in the final match of the Asian Games Hockey qualifier in Bangkok recently.
Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh to play Malaysia on Thursday
Bangladesh to play stronger Malaysia in their 3rd and last Pool B match of the eight-nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey' 2022 at the GBK Hockey Field in Jakarta on Thursday.
The match will kick-off at 2 pm (local time) and 1 pm (Bangladesh time).
Also read: Bangladesh beat Oman to make winning return to Asia Cup Hockey
In Thursday's other matches, South Korea will meet Oman at 11:45 am (Pool B), Pakistan will face Japan at 4:15 pm (Pool A) while holder India will play hosts Indonesia at 6:30 pm (Pool A), all are local time.
Ahead of the big match against Malaysia, Bangladesh team made their practices in Jakarta Wednesday morning.
Bangladesh team, which was placed in four-team Pool B with Malaysia, South Korea and Oman, already assured the 3rd slot in the group with three points from two matches after beating their traditional rivals Oman by 2-1 goals last Tuesday.
On completion of two Pool B matches, Malaysia dominated the group with all-win record securing full six points, four times champions South Korea is in the 2nd position with three points while Oman remained at bottom without any point.
Pool A team comprises India, Japan, Pakistan and hosts Indonesia.
After two Pool A matches, Japan dominated group with all win run securing full six points, Pakistan is in the 2nd position with four points, India is in the 3rd slot with one point while Indonesia remained at bottom with empty hand.
Bangladesh made a frustrating start in the ongoing Asia Cup Hockey '2022 after suffering 1-6 goal defeat against South Korea in their first match with captain Khorshedur Rahman scoring the lone goal for Bangladesh
In their 2-1 victory against Oman in the 2nd match, Ashraful Islam and Rakibul Hasan scored one each for Bangladesh to take revenge of their 2-6 defeat against Oman in the final match of the Asian Games Hockey qualifier in Bangkok recently.
Earlier in the remaining group matches, Malaysia outplayed Oman by 7-0 goals, Japan crushed hosts Indonesia 9-0, holders India played 1-1 with arch-rivals Pakistan, Pakistan crushed Indonesia 13-0, Malaysia beat Korea 5-4 while Japan shocked India by 5-2 goal.
South Korea clinched the Asia Cup title for a record four times while India and Pakistan followed them neck and neck by winning the title for three occasions each..
Ahead of the Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey' 2022, Bangladesh played two preparatory matches in Jakarta.
Also read:Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh suffer 1-6 goal defeat against South Korea in opener
Bangladesh suffered 1-5 goal defeat against holders India in their 2nd preparatory match after beating hosts Indonesia by 2-1 goal in the first match..Bangladesh qualified for the eight-nation Hero Men’s Asia Cup Hockey main event by clinching the nine-nation Men's AHF Cup Hockey title for the 4th consecutive times with all-win record, also held in Jakarta last March.
No headway in sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia despite agreement
Four months into Malaysia opened its labour market for Bangladeshi workers the recruitment remains in a limbo.
A dispute between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur on who will hire the workers and how has rendered ineffective the late last year’s agreement between the two governments.
Some Bangladeshi recruiting agencies, grouped in a so-called syndicate, are allegedly playing their part in stalling the operation of the agreement signed on December 19 last year opening the Malaysian market to Bangladesh after a four-year ban.
Malaysia, one of the largest destinations for Bangladeshi workers, currently employs about seven lakh expatriates from Bangladesh, according to business sources.
In 2018 the then Malaysian government of Mahathir Mohammad shut the door of his country’s labour market to workers from Bangladesh for alleged irregularities by hiring agencies in both countries.
At the centre of the latest dispute is that Malaysian government wants the recruitment to be done by a selected group of 25 Bangladeshi agencies. Dhaka rejects the idea as it will leave out many mostly smaller agencies (over1,500) out of the process and business.
Why did Malaysia stop taking workers from Bangladesh?
In 2009, Bangladesh for the first time was denied access to Malaysian labor market on allegation of irregularities in recruitment process.
It changed after on November 26, 2012 the two countries struck a MoU to send workers through G2G model. Following this model the immigration flow from Bangladesh increased as thousands of people joined Malaysian labor market officially.
But soon the government model failed leading to a surge in illegal immigration to Malaysia from Bangladesh.
Read: US investment to be welcomed for development of energy sector: Nasrul Hamid
In 2016, government again introduced G2G Plus model under which only 10 recruiting agencies could send workers privately to Malaysia. Following this model 2.45 lakh workers got jobs in Malaysia.
Soon allegations surfaced that these agencies started exploiting the job seekers charging unfairly high fees from them.
They at first fixed the immigration cost at Tk 36,000 and later increased it to Tk 1.60 Lakh. At one stage these private agencies even charged Tk 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh per head in immigration cost.
The corrupt practice soon grabbed attention of the Malaysian government, which cancelled the G2G Plus model in a big blow to Bangladeshi job seekers.
The hope raised by the latest MoU was quickly dashed after on January 14, Malaysian Minister for Human Resources M. Saravan sent a letter to Dhaka to hire workers through only 25 recruiting agencies, said the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.
In response, Bangladesh Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmed sent a letter to his Malaysian counterpart explaining Dhaka can’t accept it.
He cited International Labor Organization (ILO) Certificate and Bangladesh Competition Act, 2012 arguing that the government cannot allow the business to be monopolized by a select few.
He said,” According to Bangladesh laws the government is bound to provide equal opportunity to all the lawfully licensed recruiting agencies. Bangladesh wants transparent, irregularity free and safe immigration of workers to Malaysia.”
Imran also proposed a meeting of the joint working committees of the two countries to decide the procedure to send workers from Bangladesh. But three months after the letter was sent Kua Lumpur is yet to respond.
Ahmed Munirus Salehin, secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment told UNB the talks are still ongoing regarding opening of Malaysian labour market to Bangladesh.
“Recently Malaysia sent us a date for holding the meeting of joint working committee online but we refused it as we had to coordinate with other ministries. Later we sent a date for the online meeting but unfortunately it was not held,” he said.
The Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment secretary however said,” A decision may come in this regard in the meeting of the committee to be held on May 25.”
Why is the opposition against syndicate?
In 2016, during the failed and controversial G2G recruiting system Dato Nur Amin a Bangladesh origin Malaysian and Ruhul Amin Swapan, former secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) were in control of the ‘syndicate’ of 10 recruiting agencies.
Read: Despite taka depreciating, banks selling dollars at Tk3-4 extra
M Tipu Sultan, president of Recruiting Agency Unity Council said, “ Except one or two, almost all the earlier 10 recruiting agencies were listed in this new 25-agencies syndicate and they are being led by Ruhul Amin Swapan. We want a syndicate-free labor market access to Malaysia this time.”
“The 10-agencies syndicate increased the immigration cost many times and handing them the work will increase it again. Mahathir government banned recruitment from Bangladesh due to their corruption. Mainly due to malicious effort of this syndicate the Malaysian labor market opening for Bangladesh is being delayed,” said Abul Bashar organizer of the Anti-Syndicate Alliance and former president of BAIRA.
“There are 1,530 licensed recruiting agencies in Bangladesh and they have right to send workers to any labor market legally. Forming a syndicate will mean they can’t work and opportunity for corruption will be created,” said Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury organizer of the Anti-Syndicate Alliance and former secretary general of BAIRA.
Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants (BCSM), a platform of 20 organizations working on immigration urged both the governments to not repeat the same factors including the syndicates system that led to the closure of the Malaysian labour market in the past.
Instead, the workers should be sent through an open and transparent system so that migrant workers are not harmed in any way, said a statement.
It also urged immediate opening of the market by allowing equal recruitment opportunities to all the registered agencies.
The alleged syndicate leader Ruhul Amin Swapan, owner of overseas recruiting agency Catharsis International, rejected the allegations brought against him as false.
”I have no involvement in the government to government discussion regarding opening Malaysia’s labour market. I am just a general businessman like other agency owners.”
He further said, “It Is Malaysian government’s decision that they want to recruit through a limited number of agencies. We have no say regarding the decision.”
About the increase of immigration cost Ruhul Amin said, “If the cost increased in recruitment through limited number of agencies I promise I’ll leave this business.”
Speakers laud Malaysia’s role in Rohingya issue, stress diversification in bilateral relations
Malaysia’s strong support to Bangladesh in the Rohingya crisis was lauded at a webinar that focused on shared heritage and extremely good relations between the two Muslim-majority countries.
The webinar titled “Bangladesh-Malaysia Relations: Prognosis for the Future” was hosted by Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group.
The opening remarks were delivered by Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan.
The session was chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a renowned scholar-diplomat and former adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government.
Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim was the keynote speaker at the dialogue that will premiere on Thursday evening.
Ambassador (retd) Farooq Sobhan, Yanitha Meena, a researcher in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Dhaka University Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Dhaka University Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumiir were panel discussants.
Read: Cosmos dialogue on Bangladesh-South Korea relations to be premiered Thursday
The Chair, Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury , described the excellent bilateral relations as “unsurprising”, given the commonalities of values between the two Muslim-majority nations.
“We look to Malaysia to keep up the sharp focus on the Rohingya issue in ASEAN, as well as in other regional fora” he said.
Dr Chowdhury commended the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for describing the atrocities perpetrated by Myanmar authorities’ as “genocide”.
He reflected on the possibility of the events of ethnic cleansing and other crimes triggering the principle of “the responsibly to protect” in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions.
Highlighting the Bangladesh-Malaysia relations, he said the two countries will need to work closely together, to ensure the survival of a rule-based global community, after the” double whammy” of Covid and the crisis in Europe.
High Commissioner Haznah, in her key-note address, stressed that Malaysia and Bangladesh should capitalise on the existing strong relations between the two countries.
She recalled her country’s long relations with Bangladesh in trade and investment, education, culture, tourism as well as technical assistance.
Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Dhaka-Washington ties premieres Saturday on Facebook
Bangladesh, the high commissioner noted, was currently Malaysia’s 30th largest trading partner, and ranked second among South Asian countries.
Haznah hoped that the bilateral trade value between Malaysia and Bangladesh would reach the figure of up to USD 4 billion in five years.
The ultimate goal, she believed, should be the establishment of a Free Trade Agreement to strengthen and diversify bilateral economic relations between the two nations.
The high commissioner listed the areas like defence, aero-space and food security where bilateral cooperation could also be enhanced.
About the Rohingya issue, she assured that Malaysia will remain one of the strongest supporters of Bangladesh in raising it in multilateral forums.
In his remarks Farooq Sobhan said Bangladesh needs to focus much more on its Look East policy.
“The centrepiece of this Look East policy, in my view, is our relations with ASEAN in particular,” he observed.
Recalling significant landmark bilateral visits in the past, Farooq Sobhan stressed the continued need for such interactions.
Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh’s ties with Nordic countries Saturday
Dr Imtiaz proposed floating a new platform between the two States, similar to the “Bangladesh-India Foundation, for consolidating mutual cooperation further.
He said it can be a public-private partnership. “We can invite some private entrepreneurs as well to build the foundation.”
Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir highlighted the issue of FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP to deepen the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Currently, he said most of the important Asian state-players have joined RCEP and it was expected that these growing economies of Asia will dominate the global market in the next decade.
He focused on transparent, fair and safe migration that complied with the provisions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Malaysian researcher Yanitha Meena said Malaysia and Bangladesh had signed an agreement on labour recruitment which is a very important part of the relationship between the two friendly nations.
“It’s the right step and a highly appreciated part of our relations. This does not come without challenges, as we have seen that there are several challenges to actually come to labour relations,” she added.
Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan said it is notable how Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur have remained truly 'all-weather' friends and allies for half a century.
She lauded Malaysia’s role in providing aid and services to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh hopes that Malaysia would continue its political pressure on Myanmar, to make them see the wisdom in creating a suitable environment in their Northern Rakhine state for full repatriation of the community, at the earliest, Khan said.
Read: Cosmos dialogue on EU’s contemporary relevance begins
“On the economic front, the time is truly right for Bangladesh-Malaysia to step up their engagement as they strive to move up the economic ladder within this decade,” she observed.
With the growing focus on the Blue Economy, Khan said it was now opportune moment for Dhaka and Putrajaya to explore maritime engagement, as additional dimension of Bangladesh-Malaysia relations.
“For this, the obvious arena for maritime engagement to commence would be the Bay of Bengal, and other regional waters, which have grown in importance as a critical maritime theatre in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean,” she added.
The speakers were agreed that this important deliberation and exchange of ideas organised by the Cosmos Foundation will enormously assist the widening and deepening of bilateral relations.
Yunus hands over degrees in first convocation of Albukhary International University in Malaysia
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, as the first Chancellor of Albukhari International University (AIU) in Malaysia, gave out degrees to students in its first convocation ceremony held on Saturday
The convocation ceremony took place in the elegant convocation hall of the university located in Alor Setar in the state of Kedah in Malaysia.
Founder of the university, local dignitaries, ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions, political leaders, government officials, faculty members of the university were present at the ceremony.
Yunus in his convocation speech urged students to create a new civilization before the current civilization based on profit-maximization destroys all completely.
He said the time to create a new civilization is running out very quickly.
READ: BFIU seeks Dr. Yunus’ bank account details
The university established a Yunus Social Business Centre soon after its establishment and it teaches social business across all faculties. Students at the university already created ten 3ZERO clubs with more clubs on the way.
The University has offered to play the coordinating hub for all social business initiatives for Sabah state from all Yunus Social Business Centres in Malaysia. Representatives from organizations interested in social businesses in Malaysia and the representatives from Yunus Social Business Centres from six Malaysian universities flew to Alor Setar to attend a review conference of social businesses in Malaysia with Professor Yunus.
The university admits students from all around the world who cannot pay for their higher education. All expenses, including travel costs, are borne by the university. Ninety percent of the students of the university are foreign students. The University is established by the Al Bukhari Foundation.
Malaysia's ruling party wins big again in state polls
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s Malay party has defeated its allies in the ruling party and the opposition to score a landslide victory in a second state election that could presage early national polls.
Saturday's big win in southern Johor state by the United Malays National Organization, or UMNO, mirrored its victory in another state election in November and will embolden supporters to escalate demands for early general elections, which are not due till July 2023.
The UMNO-led National Front coalition governed Malaysia for 61 years until its shocking ouster in 2018 due to a multibillion-dollar financial scandal. But the reformist alliance that won those polls collapsed in 2020 due to defections and the National Front made a comeback as part of a new government.
READ: KL to cooperate with Dhaka on agricommodities: Malaysian Minister
The new government, however, is plagued by infighting with the National Front, going up against some of its allies in both state elections. Although the parties have agreed to share power until the next general election, factions in UMNO are anxious to capitalize on its victories and revive its former rule.
“This is a confirmation of recent trends. People voted strongly for the National Front because they want stability" following political turmoil in the past few years, said James Chin, an Asian expert at Australia’s University of Tasmania.
A low voter turnout and a highly divided opposition were in UMNO's favor, he said.
“Ismail Sabri will be under tremendous pressure now to call for general elections. UMNO wants to build on the momentum generated by its state victories. A big win in the general election will also mean that UMNO can rule on its own without a messy coalition,” Chin said.
Ismail was greeted with chants of “dissolve Parliament” when he arrived at a National Front center in Johor late Saturday ahead of the announcement of full official results. The Front secured 40 out of the 56 state seats. Its allies in the ruling coalition only won three seats while the opposition took 13.
Chin said UMNO itself is divided and the premier, who is a second-tier leader in UMNO, is likely to try and delay national polls as he may be replaced if the National Front wins.
Ismail took over the helm just seven months ago after his predecessor, from another party in the ruling coalition, resigned due to defections. UMNO’s president can't take the top job as he is fighting a corruption charge. Ismail's government has a thin majority, and he has inked a pact with the opposition for support in case there are defections.
The state victories also appeared to be a remarkable turnaround for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was a key figure in the campaigning despite his conviction and 12-year jail sentence for corruption.
Najib is out on bail pending appeal and is also fighting dozens of other graft charges related to an international scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that has sparked public anger and led to his defeat in 2018 polls.
READ: Commerce Minister urges Malaysia to set up industries in Bangladesh
“The people’s voices are loud and clear. This is a people’s referendum ... They want stability. They want prosperity and development," Najib wrote on Facebook.