https://www.scmp.com/rss/524501/feed The latest news and updates on Rafizi Ramli, a prominent Malaysian politician and a chartered accountant by profession. He served as Malaysia’s Minister of Economy from December 2022 until June 2025, where he was instrumental in launching the MADANI Economy Framework and implementing the Central Database Hub (PADU) for targeted subsidies. As a Member of Parliament for Pandan, a role he held previously, he is known for his advocacy for transparency and evidence-based policymaking. A long-standing... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Malaysian NGO is demanding more accountability in project approvals in Cameron Highlands after a two-hour downpour on Monday resulted in a “river of mud” gushing through the main road of a town in the popular hill resort. A 15-second clip shows waist-high muddy waters, which social media users likened to teh tarik, surging through Ringlet, swallowing the main road and pushing against cars. Cameron Highlands police chief Azri Ramli said the flood was caused by a heavy downpour that began at 2pm... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350880/river-mud-malaysias-cameron-highlands-prompts-accountability-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350880/river-mud-malaysias-cameron-highlands-prompts-accountability-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:24:02 +0000 The Star The Star Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed Malaysia’s independent foreign policy stance, saying that while the nation prioritises maintaining strong ties with its neighbours, it remains firm in its refusal to overlook the causes of current regional instability. Responding to recent remarks by Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who stated that the republic would not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Anwar said Malaysia’s diplomatic approach is guided... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349684/malaysias-anwar-singapores-hormuz-stance-thats-their-affair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349684/malaysias-anwar-singapores-hormuz-stance-thats-their-affair?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:07:56 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Wednesday offered to pay for the flight of a London-based key witness to help with its investigation into possible corruption linked to a US$250 million deal signed last year between the government and British chip design firm Arm Holdings. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has for the past month been on the hunt for former government aide James Chai, whom it said was a key witness in its probe on possible abuse of power, fraud and governance... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:45:39 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian minister on Wednesday denied he was the unnamed politician at the centre of fresh allegations in the country’s so-called corporate mafia controversy, amid wide speculation over the individual’s identity. Ramanan Ramakrishnan, human resource minister, and vice-president of the ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), rejected claims he had taken 9.5 million ringgit (US$2.4 million) in exchange for “helping resolve” the alleged matter. The controversy gained traction following news reports... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347884/minister-caught-malaysias-corporate-mafia-saga-denies-us24-million-bribe-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347884/minister-caught-malaysias-corporate-mafia-saga-denies-us24-million-bribe-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:15:52 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Two votes. That was the margin by which Malaysia’s prime minister, a man with a supermajority in the 222-seat lower house, failed to pass a bill his own coalition had spent weeks publicly championing. After the numbers were read out, the cameras cut to Anwar Ibrahim. He was mid-laugh, chatting with his deputy. The bill, defeated on March 2, was supposed to be a quick win – a term-limit proposal capping any prime minister at two terms or 10 years in office, chosen precisely because it was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346522/graft-and-gridlock-anwars-malaysia-reformist-cracks-widen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346522/graft-and-gridlock-anwars-malaysia-reformist-cracks-widen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 02:30:08 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s anti-corruption investigation into a flagship chip-design deal with Britain’s Arm Holdings took a more combustible turn on Thursday after a former government aide declared: “I am not Jho Low 2.0.” The remark – invoking the fugitive financier at the centre of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal – came as the country’s anti-corruption agency pushed back against his claims, while allies of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned the investigation risked appearing heavy-handed. The dispute has dragged... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345514/malaysias-arm-chip-deal-probe-turns-political-ex-aide-says-i-am-not-jho-low-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345514/malaysias-arm-chip-deal-probe-turns-political-ex-aide-says-i-am-not-jho-low-20?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:34:15 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof At the halfway point of his term, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces trouble brewing inside his own camp as his long-time lieutenant Rafizi Ramli seizes the banner of reform and clean government that was once his own. Malaysia must hold its next general election by February 2028, but with both the governing coalition and the opposition facing internal power struggles, swathes of the electorate remain unconvinced by either side’s case to govern. For Anwar, who spent decades vying to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343921/rafizi-ramli-now-conscience-malaysias-reformasi-movement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343921/rafizi-ramli-now-conscience-malaysias-reformasi-movement?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:38:19 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof In Malaysia, one question about corruption keeps being asked by the public no matter who is in power: who investigates the investigators? Fresh allegations over the investments of the country’s top anti-corruption official have brought that conundrum back into sharp focus, with critics warning that trust in key institutions – and in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reform promises – is on the line. The controversy centres on Azam Baki, chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343734/who-watches-malaysias-watchdog-controversy-over-anti-corruption-chief-strains-reform-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343734/who-watches-malaysias-watchdog-controversy-over-anti-corruption-chief-strains-reform-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:50:43 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Hundreds of black-clad Malaysians gathered in the capital on Sunday, calling for the arrest of anti-corruption chief Azam Baki after reports alleged he had improper shareholdings and that abuse of power took place in the commission he leads. The crowd of mainly young people waved black flags and placards as they assembled outside a shopping centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with a major road temporarily shut to accommodate the demonstration. “We are gathering because the dignity of the law... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343661/hundreds-malaysians-rally-demand-arrest-anti-corruption-head-enough-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343661/hundreds-malaysians-rally-demand-arrest-anti-corruption-head-enough-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:55:09 +0000 The Star The Star The posh, three-storey house in Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur was occupied by foreign prostitutes who provide their services for fees of up to 3,500 ringgit (US$900). The “romps”, which were either a 45-minute or 90-minute session, were offered by a syndicate that supplied women from countries such as China and Japan. The syndicate had been operating from the detached house in the upscale residential area of Desa Pahlawan for about six months. However, their illicit activities came to an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343559/malaysian-police-smash-sex-ring-charging-us900-session-posh-kl-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343559/malaysian-police-smash-sex-ring-charging-us900-session-posh-kl-area?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 03:37:05 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has brushed aside calls to suspend or remove Malaysia’s anti-corruption chief, asking critics to “read his explanation”, after fresh reports about his shareholdings reignited public anger against the official. Citing corporate filings, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Azam Baki, chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), was a key shareholder in an investment holding company. Azam told local media on Wednesday that the report was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343303/malaysias-anwar-defends-anti-corruption-chief-over-new-share-row-read-his-explanation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343303/malaysias-anwar-defends-anti-corruption-chief-over-new-share-row-read-his-explanation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 07:54:53 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof From engaging with the world’s most powerful leaders, infighting within the ruling party, and cases of horrific school violence, to a murder probe involving a controversial rapper. Malaysia was a regional powerhouse that punched above its weight even as it faced pressing challenges in domestic politics this year. Here are the most widely read Malaysia stories This Week in Asia covered in 2025: Diplomatic wins In a year when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chairs Asean, Malaysia played host to world... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337868/trumps-dance-najibs-1mdb-saga-influencer-case-malaysia-leads-asean-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337868/trumps-dance-najibs-1mdb-saga-influencer-case-malaysia-leads-asean-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 05:00:09 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday announced his second cabinet reshuffle in two years, reassigning senior ministers and promoting new faces as he seeks to bolster his administration ahead of the next general election. The changes follow months of mounting political pressure on Anwar’s government, triggered by his close allies’ resignations, internal party bickering and persistent cost of living concerns. “This is about fine-tuning so the cabinet works as a team and focuses on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336662/malaysias-anwar-reshuffles-cabinet-focus-stronger-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336662/malaysias-anwar-reshuffles-cabinet-focus-stronger-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:36:59 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has renewed his attack on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist agenda, alleging that anti-corruption officers targeted candidates who challenged the leader’s daughter in internal party polls earlier this year. In an episode of his Yang Berhenti Menteri (The Minister Who Quit) podcast streamed on Friday, the Pandan MP and former Anwar ally alleged that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had investigated several contenders for the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 07:52:38 +0000 Lee Hwok-Aun Lee Hwok-Aun Development plans are rarely page-turners. But Malaysia’s latest, covering the years 2026 to 2030, carries unusual weight. Compact and rooted in two simple yet powerful concepts, it may prove consequential for the country’s progress. The 13th Malaysia Plan, launched under the striking mission of “redesigning development”, extends a planning tradition that is now seven decades old but continues to anchor the nation’s development strategy and public investment. The plan seeks to answer two... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3325374/malaysias-13th-plan-offers-pocket-sized-reforms-middle-income-quagmire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3325374/malaysias-13th-plan-offers-pocket-sized-reforms-middle-income-quagmire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:08:38 +0000 Amalina Anuar Amalina Anuar Malaysia is in a tough spot when it comes to reforming RON95 fuel subsidies to reduce the country’s financial burden. The country needs more money: tax receipts amount to only 12.5 per cent of gross domestic product and oil is generating less revenue for the national coffers. Redirecting funds from exorbitant expenditures would ease this strain, allowing the government to fund more essential services and investments. Fuel subsidies, in place since 1983, are an obvious target. In 2022, these... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3323699/watering-down-malaysias-ron95-petrol-subsidy-reform-will-cost-country-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3323699/watering-down-malaysias-ron95-petrol-subsidy-reform-will-cost-country-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 02:00:18 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The 12-year-old son of Malaysia’s firebrand former minister Rafizi Ramli was attacked with a syringe in a shopping centre car park on Wednesday afternoon, in what the ex-cabinet member said was a premeditated assault likely aimed at silencing his strident views. The attack happened at a shopping centre in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, as Rafizi’s wife and son were about to enter their car. “Suddenly a man dragged my son and stabbed him with a syringe,” Rafizi said in a statement,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:42:41 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia unveiled its latest economic road map to climb the global value chain on Thursday as it aims to produce premium tech products such as semiconductors and tap into artificial intelligence (AI) in its push for developed nation status by 2030. The “Made by Malaysia” aspiration is central to the 13th Malaysia Plan, the country’s five-year development blueprint for 2026 to 2030, and marks a strategic shift from its traditional role as a low-cost manufacturing hub. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3320275/made-malaysia-plan-targets-premium-tech-ai-developed-status?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3320275/made-malaysia-plan-targets-premium-tech-ai-developed-status?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:00:34 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s government on Tuesday invited the Bar Council to take part in a review of the country’s judicial appointment process, in a bid to quell public discontent over alleged executive interference that has thrown the judiciary into crisis. The move comes just a day after nearly 1,000 lawyers marched to the Prime Minister’s Office demanding urgent reforms and greater transparency in the selection of judges amid a shortage at the top of the courts and warnings of further institutional... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318284/malaysia-seek-lawyers-views-anger-over-judge-selection-process-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318284/malaysia-seek-lawyers-views-anger-over-judge-selection-process-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:55:22 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan A fresh quandary may be brewing in Malaysia’s ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), after Deputy President Nurul Izzah Anwar joined a march calling for judicial independence while her party weighs disciplinary action on her peers for demanding an investigation into alleged meddling in the country’s judiciary. Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister and PKR President Anwar Ibrahim, joined nearly 1,000 lawyers in a march on the prime minister’s office on Monday afternoon to protest against... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:19:30 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s judicial crisis deepened over the weekend after a leaked memo revealed serious allegations against Federal Court Judge Terrirudin Salleh, as lawyers marched to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office on Monday to protest against alleged executive interference in the judiciary. Anwar has come under mounting pressure over the scandal, with lawmakers from his own party breaking ranks to demand that he “clear the air”, warning that judicial integrity is now “the biggest issue” facing the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318121/malaysias-judicial-crisis-escalates-leaked-memo-claims-against-top-judge-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318121/malaysias-judicial-crisis-escalates-leaked-memo-claims-against-top-judge-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:30:07 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi In the calm of his kitchen, Christy Yoong once raised a glass to retirement – good wine, imported cheese and the spoils of a life’s work. But as Malaysia’s new tax regime lands with a thud, even these modest pleasures are slipping out of reach. When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his unexpected tax on imported luxuries in June, he promised the pain would be felt only by the affluent. The intent was clear: shore up government coffers by targeting the better-off. Yet the reality, for many... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s judiciary faces a leadership vacuum as Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat prepares to step down on Wednesday without a successor named – a gap lawyers warn could undermine judicial independence and public trust. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has opted not to extend the tenure of Tengku Maimun or Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, the president of the Court of Appeal, both of whom reach the mandatory retirement age of 66 this week. The constitution allows for a six-month... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316485/malaysia-faces-judicial-void-chief-justice-tengku-maimun-set-retire-without-successor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316485/malaysia-faces-judicial-void-chief-justice-tengku-maimun-set-retire-without-successor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:00:13 +0000