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INSIDE
TELLING IT AS IT IS page page
3 No kavadi for
Thaipusam
5 MBSA explains
‘Don’t feed
procession this year animals’ campaign

ON MONDAY JANUARY 25, 2021

No. 7708 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195)
www.thesundaily.my

NEEDLESS
RESISTANCE ...
Policemen escorting
a vagrant who tried
to flee from a
Covid-19 screening
operation for
homeless people in
Kuala Lumpur early
yesterday morning.
– BERNAMAPIX

‘Cap Covid test price’

█ BY NICOLAS ANIL
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
P profiteering amid soaring daily new cases
ETALING JAYA: Health stakeholders
are calling for a price cap on Covid-19
testing to avoid profiteering. This
comes following a rise in the number
of Covid cases in the country, with figures
expected to soar to 8,000 daily by March.
Health think-tank group Galen Centre for
Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul
Mohd Khalib said such a move is necessary
considering the increase in the number of
Malaysians getting tested daily.
“The cost price is reportedly in the range of
o Expert calls for action to prevent
largest private foundation in the world, struck
a deal with rapid diagnostic test producers
Abbot and SD Bionsensor to cap the price of
antigen rapid diagnostic tests at US$5 each
(about RM20.20).
The agreement was made for low and
middle income countries that do not have
extensive laboratory facilities or trained
page
15
cost price without any subsidy, adding that
since the announcement on Jan 18, some 200
people have been tested daily.
On whether private healthcare institutions
should offer testing at a reasonable price for
the public, Azrul said it was just business to
them.
“Private hospitals and clinics are at the
CELEB SPEAK

RM40 to RM90, depending on the volume of
tests conducted. The more people who get
tested, the lower the cost can be,” he told
theSun yesterday.
Azrul said while there is no need for price
standardisation for Covid testing, there should
be a ceiling price to prevent profiteering.
“Based on market rates, it should be no
more than RM120.”
Last September, the World Health
Organisation reported that the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, reported to be the
health workers. fundamental level of (doing) business. They
While Malaysia does not fall into that have employees, operating costs,
category, there have been several initiatives to commitments and liabilities to pay. They are
alleviate the burden on the public. not part of the welfare system, although
Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv they can be mobilised to help out. Private
Rishyakaran recently announced that the clinics, in particular, are especially
RTK-Antigen Covid-19 test was available at vulnerable during this public
RM70 in his constituency, while health expert
Dr Musa Nordin said the Selangor state
health crisis as they see a
drastic decrease in patients,” he Turn to Acting but
staying real
government was setting aside RM5 million for said. —
free testing. The Malaysian Medical page 2
Rajiv said his initiative was being done at Association (MMA) said the cost
 2 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS
A year since
Covid-19 arrived
in Malaysia
oIsmail Sabri talks about challenges faced by nation
in tackling coronavirus pandemic
KUALA LUMPUR: Today marks a year since the
Covid-19 pandemic hit the country with the first
cases involving three Chinese nationals who
entered Malaysia from Singapore via Johor on
Jan 20, 2020.
During the first wave, the majority of
Covid-19 cases were imported and did not
involve Malaysians. The infections during the
second wave involved local transmissions, with
ANTIQUE GIFT ... Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar with a 40-year-old the first case reported on Feb 4.
sewing machine presented to the Mersing Museum by Choo Ming Hooi. The machine belonged to The government imposed a movement
Choo’s 90-year-old mother. – BERNAMAPIX control order (MCO) beginning March 18 with
strict standard operating procedures (SOP). A
few months later, when infections showed a
Get tests done only at approved facilities decline, the SOP were loosened slightly with the
introduction of the conditional movement
control order from May 4, followed by the
for screenings are determined by market “The Health director-general had on recovery movement control order (RMCO) on
forces. From Nov 8 last year said that Covid testing by June 10.
“There are 800 clinics and 100 front private sectors can only be carried out at However, due to some complacency, there
hospitals providing Covid screening page a private medical clinic, ambulatory care was a third wave and the government re-
services. However, consumers should centre or a private hospital.” enforced the RMCO in most states beginning
practise due diligence, especially if the price Several countries have embarked on last October. When the number of cases kept
varies greatly from the market rate,” said MMA affordable and free Covid screenings. increasing, the government re-enforced the
president Prof Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam. Germany secured nine million antigen test MCO, starting with six states and subsequently
He added that the public should also go kits that can deliver results in minutes and nationwide, except Sarawak.
only to facilities approved by the Health cost 5 Euros (RM24.60), while France adopted In an interview with Bernama, Senior
Ministry for swab tests. a free-for-everyone testing policy. Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri
Yaakob spoke on the challenges of managing
the pandemic.
Total Following is the transcript of the interview:
confirmed cases Q: Initial efforts seemed successful in
reducing the number of cases, but the
situation became critical to an extent that
UPDATE 183,801 MCO was enforced again. What caused the
increase?
A: At that time (March 2020), people were very
As of noon yesterday scared of Covid-19. When the government said
“stay at home, do not go out”, almost all citizens
obeyed and violations of the SOP were few. But
over time, people felt that life was back to
Total active cases Total recoveries Death toll normal because there was no MCO and the
government began providing relief gradually.
Almost all economic sectors were opened
and even social activities, such as holding of
41,677 141,446 678
MTUC: Review SOP to stem spike
Including
UPDATE New recoveries New fatalities
of cases in workplace
New cases Total in ICU
█ BY HAKEM HASSAN
3,346 265 4,427 11
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: A reworking of the standard
operating procedures (SOP) is needed if the
3 PERLIS
Breakdown by state recent spike in the number of Covid-19 clusters
involving workplaces is to be tackled effectively.
The Malaysian Trades Union Congress said a
delicate balance is needed to tackle the spread
KELANTAN 77 Asof Covid-19 while protecting the economy and
of noon
85 KEDAH workers.
yesterday
TERENGGANU 179 MTUC deputy president Mohd Effendy
Abdul Ghani told theSun that the government
90 PENANG
needs to rework the SOP to ensure factories and
workplaces are safe.
46 PERAK PAHANG 63 49 LABUAN The focus needs to be on preventing the
spread of the virus instead of simply managing
950 SELANGOR
it, he said, adding that sanitisation of
N.SEMBILAN 160 workplaces, especially factories and
390 K. LUMPUR
construction sites, should be done more
SABAH 431 frequently.
38 PUTRAJAYA For workers in manufacturing or
construction, more shifts are needed to ensure
152 MALACCA
better social distancing to curb the spread of the
378 JOHOR virus, Effendy said.
The government can help by providing
SARAWAK 255 subsidies for sanitation equipment needed in
order for companies to handle the sanitisation
work on their own, he said.
feasts and sports activities were allowed,
causing the people to feel safe from Covid-19.
Although the regulation to wear face masks
was observed, mass group activities took place,
especially during the Sabah state election.
Physical distancing was almost not complied
with. At that time, one of the reasons for the
increase in cases in Sabah was due to foreign
immigrants spreading the virus, which
subsequently spread to the peninsula, after the
polls ended.
Q: What was the public rate of compliance
with the SOP?
A: Based on a study conducted by Universiti
Teknologi Mara, almost 95% of the people
complied with the SOP on the use of face masks.
It has become a new culture, even in villages,
even though it is not emphasised. But face
masks alone without physical distancing is not
enough. We see that in most places, there is no
physical distancing.
Q: Many say cases increased again when
inter-state movement was allowed, including
for holidays. What is your opinion on this?
A: There may have been an increase due to
inter-state travel, but the largest contributors
are foreign workers in the manufacturing sector.
This is why they are required to undergo Covid-
19 screening tests.
Secondly, workers at construction sites. So,
we focus on these problems by providing
conducive housing for workers and so on. As for
Covid-19 cases due to inter-state travel, it is just
one of the contributors.
Q: When will the country’s borders be
opened?
A: We will not open the borders so quickly
because other countries are also facing the
pandemic. Although the government recently
planned to open its borders for some countries
through green zone travel bubbles, it was put on
hold.
This is because it is Malaysia that intends to,
but what about other countries that will not
allow Malaysians to travel to their countries?
But Effendy warned against locking down
factories as it will severely affect workers and
production.
The Malaysian Employers’ Federation said
the increase in the number of workplace
clusters does not mean that employers are not
implementing the SOP strictly.
Its executive director, Datuk Shamsuddin
Bardan said the majority of employers are
working very hard to ensure that their
workplaces are free from the virus.
“This is because the reporting of an infection
at a workplace will mean that it would need to
be temporarily closed.”
Shamsuddin added although workplaces
have strict measures to ensure their workers’
safety, there is a risk of them being infected
outside of workplaces.
“The new workplace clusters are mostly
related to the manufacturing and construction
sectors where work from home is not possible.”
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor
Hisham Abdullah said in his daily briefing on
Jan 23 that a total of 350 new clusters were
reported between Jan 6 and 22. Of these, 225 or
64.3% were linked to workplaces.
Manufacturing related clusters were the
highest (80), followed by construction (53) and
service-related clusters (31).
 3
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021

NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS

TELLING IT AS IT IS

Says ...
Kedah MB’s pattern of non-inclusive approaches
Graphics_1 > Graphics Logos >The Sun Masthead .ai

█ BY EDDIE HOO Sanusi Md Nor’s inexcusable retort
of being “drunk on toddy”
WHETHER intended or not, the Kedah undoubtedly reveals how far he will
state government or at least its mentri go beyond social norms in a war of
besar has shown itself as a non-inclusive words.
administration where the interests of the Being the holder of the highest
minorities are secondary. political office in Kedah, he has
It has also indicated in no uncertain inevitably sent a signal to his
terms that the needs of others beyond its administration and the whole state
jurisdiction are inconsequential. that such an insidious remark is
We can put one isolated ethnic- acceptable in today’s conversation.
tinged faux pas down to indiscretion or But that is not an isolated
even immaturity on the part of its leader. incident as he has followed up the
Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad gaffe with the cancellation of
Thaipusam as a public holiday in
Kedah, suggesting that there is a
pattern to his approaches.
Much has been said of him
turning a blind eye to the plural
composition of our society. We risk
seeing this disregard growing into
neglect of the interests of all
communities and even ethnic
disregard.
Late last year, there was the water
tiff between Kedah and Penang. In
that instance, Muhammad Sanusi
threatened to block off Sungai Muda.
Beyond the water needs of the
people, we must understand how
the ecosystem will be adversely
affected if natural irrigation is
altered.
Ecology is one of our greatest
concerns now as humans think they
are the only living organism in this
world when they move mountains
and divert rivers.
Muhammad Sanusi seems
oblivious to this reality with the
threat of sandbagging Sungai Muda.
At the same time, Kedah has
allowed the logging of 25,000ha of
rainforest in the state.
Since only 16% of the 106,418ha
of the Ulu Muda Forest Reserves is
gazetted and as protected forests
under the state’s Forest Enactment,
we are at risk of compromising the
ecosystem and environmental
integrity of the Ulu Muda forest
complex.
Just where are the practice of
inclusiveness, culture of frugality
and sense of humility in his
leadership?

Wanita Umno
supports party
stand: Noraini
Total lockdown not the
KUALA LUMPUR: Wanita Umno
remains consistent in supporting the
party’s stand, including president Datuk
Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s wish for
answer to Covid spike
the party to focus on helping people
affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and oBusiness community warns of economic collapse He expressed fears that the number of
people dying of poverty would be much higher
floods. than those dying of Covid-19.
Its chief, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini █ BY RAJVINDER SINGH “There will also be social impact as people A decision to completely shut down the
Ahmad, said yesterday the movement’s newsdesk@thesundaily.com may lose their jobs. The government must find economy, including manufacturing, can only
focus is also on strengthening the party a way to (strike a) balance between protecting be driven by a poor understanding of how the
machinery to ensure victory for Umno in PETALING JAYA: A total lockdown nationwide public health and letting the economy grow.” economy work, he pointed out
the 15th general election. is not the answer to dealing with the rise in He called for a task force involving all “The economy cannot be divided into
“At a time when the country has been Covid-19 cases as it will result in economic stakeholders to deal with the pandemic and the independent sectors. On the contrary, it is an
hit by the pandemic and floods, the collapse, a segment of the business community economy. The Health Ministry is more focused intricate web of connections, in particular
people’s needs should definitely be said yesterday. on combating the virus and economy is not its human interactions,” Ferlito said.
given priority,” she said in a statement. SME Association of Malaysia president forte, he pointed out. “If you allow chicken farms to operate but
Noraini, who is Parit Sulong MP, said Datuk Michael Kang said the government On foreign workers spreading the virus, shut down manufacturing and transports, then
as the backbone of the party, Wanita needs to come up with better options. Kang said a better monitoring system is you don’t allow chicken to be slaughtered,
Umno would continue to harness its He was commenting on reports that needed. Foreign workers tend to move around packed and carried to the supermarket.
energy to safeguard the people’s welfare. Malaysia is set to announce a total economic for jobs and action should have been taken “In a nutshell, you allow a product to be
She urged all Umno members to shutdown after Feb 4, based on a letter the EU- earlier to deal with this, he added. produced but don’t allow people to consume it.”
close ranks and strengthen the party so Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Centre for Market Education warned Meanwhile, EuroCham Malaysia said the
that the people could see it as a party that (Eurocham Malaysia) issued to members. that a total economic shutdown would destroy leaked memo was issued only for its members.
truly cares for them in the fight against Kang said a lockdown will only control the the economy. “EuroCham Malaysia wishes to clarify that
the pandemic. spread of the virus temporarily but there is no “Better data analyses and communication while Miti underscored the heightened sense of
“Let’s continue to improve guarantee against further spikes. for people to make informed risk assessments urgency that prevails, given the rising number
compliance with the standard operating “How many lockdowns will we have to and orient their behaviour is a much more of cases, there was no mention of an immediate
procedure, practise self-discipline to endure to deal with the virus?” he asked. effective way to fight Covid-19. But such data lockdown after Feb 4, 2021, and therefore, we
break the Covid-19 chain and reduce the “With the present movement control order analysis strategy is yet to be seen in Malaysia,” seek for people to remain focused on the bigger
number of positive patients back to 2.0 (MCO), the nation is losing an estimated said its CEO Dr Carmelo Ferlito. picture — doing their part to ensure that
zero,” said Noraini, who is also higher RM700 million a day, a lockdown will only Ferlito said a total lockdown can only bring another lockdown is avoided,” it said in a
education minister. - Bernama make this worse,” Kang told theSun. Malaysia to a devastating level of poverty. statement.

Kavadis not allowed to accompany chariot procession

█ BY ALISHA NUR MOHD NOOR
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Kavadi carriers will not

accompany the chariot for this year’s
Thaipusam procession in a scaled-back
celebration on Jan 28 because of the Covid-
19 pandemic.
The colourful annual festival usually
involves thousands of people carrying their
offerings to Lord Murugan as an act of
penance and sacrifice.
Devotee Sukumar Krishnan, a kavadi
carriers for many years, said 10 people from
the temple committee will pull the chariot.
“There won’t be kavadis but the Sri
Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam
will live-stream the event on Jan 28,” he said.
The live stream will be on the temple
committee’s Facebook page and YouTube
channel called “We Love Batu Caves”.
In a poster, temple chairman Tan Sri
Datuk R. Nadarajah urged devotees to stay
at home and watch the Thaipusam 2021
special Poojai live.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri
Annuar Musa tweeted yesterday that there
will be no parade involved and only a
maximum of 10 devotees are allowed to
carry Lord Murugan to the Batu Caves
Temple between Jan 27 and Jan 29.
Prai assemblyman Dr. P Ramasamy
questioned why Batu Caves Hindu Temple
is the only temple allowed to receive the
chariot. He pointed out that initially, the
National Security Council said processions
were not allowed but other activities such as An official of Sri Subramaniar Swamy Batu Caves Temple seen cleaning the temple grounds yesterday has only pigeons for company as the temple is closed
milk kavadis were permitted. following the implementation of the movement control order. – BERNAMAPIX
 4 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS

Dirty side of living ‘Take stern action

█ BY ALISHA NUR MOHD NOOR
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Community

living requires a certain level of
cooperation and a sense of
responsibility among residents.
Without it, a lot can go wrong.
That is exactly what is happening
at two blocks of flats in Teluk Indah,
Prai in Penang.
For years, the ground floor
served as a huge rubbish dump,
earning it the unenviable tag as the
“dirtiest flats” in the country.
A video of the trash went viral
recently, prompting authorities to
launch a quick clean-up effort.
The lifts, which have not been
working for years, have also been
repaired but other problems
remain, such as unpaid utility bills
that have exceeded RM2 million.
As always, the first reaction of
most bystanders is to point the
finger at foreigners, particularly
migrant workers. However in this
case, 70% of the residents are
Malaysians.
National Housebuyers
Association secretary-general
Datuk Chang Kim Loong attributes
the problem to two factors, the lack
of civic consciousness among
residents and the ineffectiveness of
the joint management body (JMB).
“The onus is on the residents
living in the building to play their
role, to keep the place in a condition
as a community
oGround floor of Teluk Indah flats in Prai has served as a rubbish
dump for years, making it the dirtiest in the country
that is conducive for occupancy,” behind the racket. However, these
Chang told theSun. “In this case, allegations could not be
ignorance is not an excuse. independently verified by theSun.
“Members of the JMB are Marshel said many campaigns
entrusted with the responsibility to have been organised to get
upkeep the common area, and in residents to take care of the
this case, they have obviously surroundings, but to no avail.
failed,” he added. “Their mentality just won’t
Chang said the problem could change.”
have also been caused by a However, R. Veerasamy , 67,
combination of bad planning, who lives at the flats, said residents
corruption and expediency. have no choice but to throw
Worse than the of lack of civic rubbish from their apartments to
consciousness and failure of the ground floor because the lifts
leadership are allegations of were not working.
mismanagement of funds, and “The majority of the people here
even involvement of hoodlums in do it anyway,” he added.
the affairs of the Teluk Indah flats. Prai assemblyman Dr
P. David Marshel, a member of P. Ramasamy said the biggest
the Seberang Prai City Council, problem is the refusal of residents
said there is suspicion of to pay maintenance fees, which is
corruption and that gangsters are essential to underwrite the utility
bills for common facilities and cost
of maintenance.
He estimated that he has already
paid more than RM1 million in
electricity bills for the past 10 years,
and residents still owe between
RM300,000 and RM1 million in
water bills.
“The electricity supply for the
lifts and lights in the common area
was cut years ago,” added
Ramasamy, who is also Penang
Deputy Chief Minister II.
According to Halim Ahmad and
Fera Muhammad, who are
members of JMB in residential
apartment buildings in Kuala
Lumpur, proper financial
management and penalties for
non-payment of fees are essential
to ensure everything runs
smoothly.
against pygmy
elephant killers’
RANAU: The Ministry of Tourism,
Culture and Environment Sabah wants
stern action to be taken against those
responsible for killing a pygmy
elephant, which was found
dismembered in Tongod, Sabah.
Its minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said
he wants a detailed investigation to be
conducted, leading to the arrest of and
action against those involved.
“We are asking the authorities to
bring those involved to justice. This is a
serious offence because it involves
protected animals.
“We do not want these animals to
become extinct. The Wildlife
Conservation Enactment 1997 will be
further streamlined to curb the killing of
protected animals in the state,” he told
Bernama yesterday.
Jafry said the community should be
aware of their responsibility to preserve
nature’s treasures such as pygmy
elephants, and the importance of these
animals to the state’s biodiversity.
Last Wednesday, a carcass of a
pygmy elephant was found in an
oil palm plantation, near Kampung
Imbak. The elephant was found without
its trunk and its skin stripped.
There were gunshot wounds on its
head.

Home teaching and learning a challenge for teachers, students
KUALA LUMPUR: Implementation
of the home-based teaching and
earning for students nationwide is
seen as a challenge not only for
parents, but also teachers and
students.
A teacher at a school in Putrajaya
said the attendance of online classes
among students from the “back
classes” is quite low.
“For example, the attendance of
students from the first class is 24 out
of 27, while the attendance among
students from the back classes is six
out of 19. Students who are good will
survive while the weak will continue
to be left behind.
“At school, teachers can call
students face-to-face and motivate
them, but when classes are
conducted online, it depends on the
students, their preparation in terms
of gadgets, data plan and
self-motivation,” he said yesterday.
The teacher, who declined to be
named, said other challenges of
online classes are the problem of
monitoring the students’ discipline
and focus on their studies.
He said there are students who
opened two windows or
applications on their laptop screen,
one for online class and the other to
play “online games”.
For Syakir Fazly, 15, a Form Three
student of a school in Selangor, the
challenge of studying at home is not
being able to focus on lessons,
especially during online classes, as
his siblings often make noise and
disturb him, Bernama reported.
“It is difficult for me to hear the
Orang asli children from Kampung Paya Lebar in Selangor studying online yesterday after the implementation of
home-based learning to curb the spread of Covid-19. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN
teacher and other students. When a
student has a question, the teacher
continues to teach because the
teacher could not hear the question
and the student’s voice.
“Apart from that, not everything
that is taught can be clearly
understood because the telephone
screen is small. The link provided by
the teacher is always difficult to
access,” he added.
Parent Shahidah Musa, who has
children attending Year One and
Two in Selangor, said there are
teachers who are inconsistent and
keep changing social media
platforms and mediums in handling
online classes.
“There are times the teacher uses
the WhatsApp platform, then switch
to Telegram. The learning medium
also changes … from the Zoom app
to Google Meet and video calls.
“Apart from that, class times also
keep changing. The first day, it was
9.30am. The second day, it was
10am. Parents have to wait for
information and updates from
teachers.”
Shahidah, who bought mobile
phones for her children to facilitate
classes, said there are parents who
had to learn to use Google
classroom applications to enable
them to help their children with
their assignments or homework.
Dead whale shark
found off
Pulau Pangkor
LUMUT: A carcass of a 1.5-tonne whale
shark, of the Rhincodon Typus species,
was found floating in the waters off
Pulau Pangkor on Friday.
Rantau Abang Fisheries Research
Institute (FRI) Marine Mammal Branch
chief Mohd Tamimi Ali Ahmad said the
5.7-metre male whale shark, believed to
be five years old, was found floating by
fishermen.
Upon receiving the information, a
joint operation was conducted by the
branch, Kampung Acheh FRI as well as
the My Teluk Senangin My Fisheries
Community. They then found the
carcass near the Damar Laut Jetty.
“The carcass was found in a
mangrove, which made it difficult for us
to look for it. The shark, which is
believed to have died four days ago, was
towed to Kampung Acheh Fisheries
Jetty,” he said yesterday.
A post-mortem revealed that its right
pectoral fin had been cut and garbage
was found in its stomach.
“We are investigating the cause of
death of the whale shark, which is often
found in Pulau Sembilan, Bagan Datuk
as the area is rich with anchovies and
prawns,” he said, adding that
irresponsible parties would kill the
sharks for its fins as a bowl of shark’s fin
soup could cost anything from RM100
to RM1,000.
He advised fishermen and the public
not to disturb the whale sharks, which
are an endangered species protected
under the Fisheries Act 1985. – Bernama

Cash aid as important as food aid, say activists

█ BY ELLY FAZANIZA
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: With Covid-19
wreaking havoc on the economy,
corporate entities could chip in by
giving cash aid through their
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
platform, social activists said.
The CSR platform allows
individuals and corporate sector to
collaborate with non-government
organisations (NGO) in their
initiatives to help the underprivileged
and poor families in terms of cash.
“Through this platform, corporate
entities would feel more secure when
they partner an NGO, to assist them to
fulfill their objectives to provide aid in
cash or kind to these families,”
community activist David Janssen told
theSun yesterday.
Dr Hartini Zainudin, co-founder of
Yayasan Chow Kit centre, agreed that
cash aid, on top of food assistance,
could also help families struggling to
make ends meet.
“It (the act of giving cash aid)
preserves their dignity. It is helpful
during emergencies because it allows
beneficiaries a choice in regards to
their needs. The aid is also placed
immediately into their hands.”
Hartini said platforms such as
KitaMatch can be used by the
corporate sector to identify
organisations and the assistance
needed. According to kitamatch.my
website, it is a one-stop centre which
integrates the private sector, civil
societies and government agencies in
response to humanitarian crises.
Additionally, the platform has
information on the needs of
vulnerable communities impacted by
the pandemic.
Since it started in April last year,
more than RM61,044,967 has been
raised for 4,083 projects with 19 NGO
on board, it said.
Activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi
reiterated that cash aid is as important
as food aid. The Persatuan Untuk
Anak Kita Payong founder said cash
aid can help pay utility bills and meet
other financial commitments.
Hartini and Syed Azmi agreed that
a transparency mechanism should be
in place to ensure beneficiaries
received the aid needed.

Unseen risks of debt collectors
█ BY RAJVINDER SINGH
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Debt collecting is a
much misunderstood profession.
The picture of thugs breaking down a
borrower’s door and threatening
harm to recover unpaid dues is more
fiction than fact.
Debt collecting can be a high-risk
job. Take it from Ramesh and Julian
(not their real names).
A good tongue-lashing is a mild
form of retaliation from stubborn
borrowers. Ramesh has even been
set upon by canines that looked like
they were out for blood.
But for the duo, it is all in a day’s
work.
“One needs to be very patient to
become a debt collector,” Julian told
theSun recently as he recounted his
day at work.
As an independent debt collector,
MBSA explains ‘Do not feed animals’ campaign
█ BY SHIVANI SUPRAMANI
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: While residents are
up in arms over a Shah Alam City
Council (MBSA) banner discouraging
people from feeding wildlife and
strays, environmental experts agree
with the move.
Some residents called MBSA’s
decision irrational. Soon after, the
council released a statement on its
official Facebook page stating that the
banner was merely to educate the
public to refrain from feeding strays
as this had inadvertently increased
the stray population in the area.
“MBSA has received a total of
1,840 complaints regarding stray dogs
in 2020. These complaints were of
strays causing disturbance to the
public, and if this is not curbed, there
will be a further increase in the
number of stray dogs,” MBSA said.
Man nabbed for misusing permit to transport ketum
SIK: An unemployed man violated
the standard operating procedures
(SOP) under the movement control
order (MCO) by misusing a permit
for cross-district travel to deliver 100
bags of ketum leaves from Naka in
Kuala Nerang, Kedah to Kelantan.
Sik district police chief DSP Abdull
Razak Osman told Bernama the
29-year-old was arrested at an Ops
Covid-19 roadblock in Jalan Jeniang-
oBeing set upon by dogs and chased out of premises are all in a day’s
work for those earning a living by recovering unpaid dues from borrowers
he does not have the support of a
collection agency.
“We just have to rely on our wits
and be street smart,” he said.
“We meet all sorts of people.
There are those who are willing to
pay up, but some just refuse to make
good on their promises,” he said.
To protect themselves from
unscrupulous clients who may be
out to use them just to extort, debt
collectors demand various
documents such as an IOU, as proof
of lending, as well as all the
information they can get about the
borrower.
“We will not take an assignment
without proper documentation.
EcoKnights vice-president Amlir
Ayat said these measures by the
council could be due to several
reasons, including health concerns,
safety and wildlife loss.
“Close contact with wild animals
or strays multiplies the likelihood of
human-wild animal disease
transmissions, either through food or
direct contact.
“Being ‘nice’ to animals in the
wrong way could increase
human-wildlife conflicts. Animals
become less fearful of humans and
thus more aggressive, leading to
property damage, road and airport
accidents, human injuries, and even
fatalities,” he told theSun. EcoKnights
is a non-governmental organisation
that promotes sustainable living.
Amlir added the habit of feeding
strays and wildlife could also lead to
wildlife loss.
“Animals, even many
Sik at 3.30am yesterday.
“The ketum leaves, estimated to
weigh about 1,000kg and worth about
RM10,000, were being transported in
a three-tonne lorry. Packed in black
plastic bags, the ketum leaves were
hidden behind empty baskets.
“The suspect had permission for
cross-district travel to transport
animal feed to Penang but the permit
was misused,” he said at the Sik
Otherwise, the borrower can lodge a
police report against us, claiming we
are harassing him,” Julian said.
The modus operandi is hardly
what one would imagine.
“We do not simply barge in and
demand settlement,” he said.
Some groundwork has to be done,
and that involves talking to people
who live or work in the borrower’s
neighbourhood to get some
background information about him.
“Only after we have some
information about him do we
approach the borrower,” he said.
Even then, the debt collector will
still not be able to guess how the
borrower will react to his presence at
domesticated ones, have specific
diets which are different from
humans.
“Food for humans can be
detrimental or even fatal for them,”
he said.
He noted that to a certain extent,
this habit could also cause an
imbalance in the ecosystem.
“When an animal dies
unnecessarily, especially at a critical
stage of its life, such as at its infancy
or breeding stage, this loss will
definitely disrupt not only the
balance of local species population,
but the entire ecosystem which also
includes humans. A diseased wild
animal could easily spread its
sickness to others resulting in a
disastrous ecological imbalance,” he
said.
Malaysian National Animal
Welfare Foundation secretary Shrilan
Sivagurunathan said there is no
district police headquarters.
Abdull Razak said the suspect was
promised payment of RM500 for
delivery of the ketum leaves. He was
given half the amount before
departing and was to receive the
other half in Kelantan.
“The current market price for
ketum is RM10 per kg and can be sold
there (in Kelantan) at RM40 to RM50
per kilogramme.
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS
his home or place of work.
“Our cardinal rule is to not fight
fire with fire,” he stressed. “That
will not solve any problem.”
On many occasions, borrowers
just deny owing any money, and
chase him out of their premises, he
said.
Swearing and a litany of expletives
are a common reaction of
borrowers.
According to Ramesh, debt
collectors have a heart too.
“If a borrower genuinely has
trouble paying up, we will agree on
a monthly repayment scheme,” he
said.
“Of course, that also depends on
BRIEFS
A banner put
up by MBSA
urging the
public not to
feed strays and
wildlife.
absolute right or wrong.
“Everyone has a different school of
thought. However, whatever we do
has to be done responsibly.
“It should be understood that
when we feed these animals, we are
creating a safe haven for them
without understanding animal
behaviour as a whole,” Shrilan said,
adding that there is no right stand to
the issue as the local council’s job is to
look into the safety of the community
too.
“All animals deserve the right to
shelter, food, water and care.
However, some of the concerns the
council may have is the spread of
diseases that these strays may carry,
or unnecessary animal attacks where
children are victims. We can’t call this
move irrational as well since it is the
local council which is dealing with
the issue of overpopulation of strays
to maintain the safety of the people”.
The suspect is believed to have
been involved in ketum trafficking for
a year.
“He also has a record of four
drug-related offences, and a urine
test found him to be positive for
methamphetamine,” he said, adding
that the suspect was issued a
summons for flouting the MCO SOP
and Prevention and Control of
Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
5
the situation.
If a person can afford an
expensive car and still refuses to
repay a RM10,000 loan, I will ask him
to repay in full or in two payments.”
For their services, debt collectors
get a cut of the sum that has been
recovered.
According to Julian, sums owed
range from RM5,000 to RM200,000.
“Our cut depends on many
factors, depending on how difficult it
was to collect payments and whether
the borrower is a titled person.”
When out in the field, debt
collectors must be prepared for any
eventuality and learn how to deal
with each of them.
“Many people will come up with
sob stories to avoid paying up but I
have on at least one occasion, found
out that a borrower truly did not
have a single sen to his name,”
Ramesh said.
BOMOH DENIES SEX
ASSAULT CHARGE
KOTA BARU: A bomoh pleaded
not guilty at the sessions court
here yesterday to sexually
assaulting a woman who had
approached him for treatment.
Wan Ismail Wan Md Zain, 53,
was charged under Section
377CA of the Penal Code with
having sexual connection
using an object on the
28-year-old woman at a house
in Kampung Permatang Pusu
at 8.50pm on Jan 12. The man
faces a jail term of up to 30
years and whipping. Judge
Ahmad Bazli Bahruddin
allowed him bail of RM15,000
in one surety and ordered him
to report to the nearest police
station every month as well as
not intimidate the victim and
witnesses. The court set Feb 24
for mention. – Bernama
MAN HELD OVER
FACTORY BREAK-IN
JOHOR BARU: Police have
arrested a man and launched a
manhunt for three others in
connection with a break-in at a
factory in Desa Idaman, Senai,
near Kulai. District police chief
Supt Tok Beng Yeow said the
suspect, aged 39, was arrested
at about 2pm on Saturday after
a tip-off. “When police arrived,
the door to the factory was
open and a group of men was
seen inside the premises.
“Realising the presence of
police, the group fled, but
police were able to arrest one
of them,” Tok said yesterday.
The suspect, who has a record
for 12 drug-related offences,
tested positive for
methamphetamine. He is in
remand for six days until Jan
29. – Bernama
FIRECRACKERS
SEIZED IN RAID
JOHOR BARU: Marine police
seized various types of
firecrackers, estimated to be
worth RM80,000, in a raid at a
house in Taman Skudai Indah
2. Region Two Marine Police
Force commander ACP Muhd
Zailani Abdullah said a 51-year-
old man, who is the house
owner, was arrested in the raid
on Saturday. The firecrackers
are believed for distribution
locally for the Chinese New
Year celebrations. The seizure
comprised 43 boxes
containing various types of
firecrackers in a lorry that was
parked in front of the house.
– Bernama
 6 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS
MISSING MAN FOUND
BRIEFS
NEAR DAM AFTER 18 DAYS
CANBERRA: A man who went missing
more than two weeks ago in
Australian bushland has been found
alive, apparently surviving his ordeal
by “drinking dam water and eating
mushrooms”, authorities said. Robert
Weber, 58, was discovered near a dam
by a local property owner early
yesterday after last being seen on Jan
6 leaving a hotel in Kilkivan, 200km
north of Brisbane. Police said Weber
had run into trouble after his car
became bogged on an unfamiliar
road. “He remained at his car with his
dog for three days before running out
of water,“ a police statement said. “He
left on foot and became lost and
remained at a dam where he survived
by drinking dam water and eating
mushrooms.”– AFP
JOHNSON, BIDEN DISCUSS
‘DEEPENING ALLIANCE’
LONDON: Boris Johnson and Joe
Biden on Saturday vowed to deepen
ties and cooperate on tackling climate
change in their first conversation
since the US president’s inauguration,
the British prime minister’s office said.
Johnson congratulated Biden on his
inauguration and “the two leaders
looked forward to deepening the
close alliance between our nations”,
the Downing Street statement said.
British newspapers reported that
Johnson was the first European leader
to receive a call from Biden, who
earlier spoke to Canadian and
Mexican counterparts. – AFP
MACRON VOWS SUPPORT
FOR SEX ABUSE VICTIMS
PARIS: French President Emmanuel
Macron said on Saturday that victims
of childhood sexual abuse “will never
be alone again” and promised legal
changes, after thousands came
forward with their experiences in
recent weeks. “Today shame is
switching sides” from victims to
perpetrators, Macron said, welcoming
the fact that “people feel free to speak
everywhere in France”. “We are here.
We’re listening to you. We believe you.
And you will never be alone again.”
Promising to “punish criminals for
their acts in the past and prevent
them ever reoffending”, Macron said
the law would be updated. – AFP
READY TO GO ... Folk dancers from Telangana preparing before a full dress rehearsal yesterday for the upcoming Republic Day Parade in the Indian city of
Chennai. – AFPPIX
‘El Chapo of Asia’
arrested in Netherlands
oAustralian authorities pushing for drug lord’s extradition
CANBERRA: The alleged ringleader of Asia’s
biggest crime syndicate and one of the world’s
most wanted men has been arrested in the
Netherlands, with Australian authorities
pushing for his extradition to face trial.
Police had been chasing alleged drug
kingpin Tse Chi Lop, 57, for years until his arrest
by Dutch police on Friday acting on a request
from Australia’s federal police.
In a statement yesterday, Australian
authorities said a man “of significant interest”
to law enforcement agencies had been
detained. A police spokesman confirmed his
name as Tse Chi Lop.
The Chinese-born Canadian citizen has
been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin
“El Chapo” Guzman.
He has been named by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the
suspected leader of the Asian mega-cartel
known as “Sam Gor”, a major producer and
supplier of methamphetamines globally.
Sam Gor is believed to launder its billions in
US says support for Taiwan ‘rock-solid’
WASHINGTON: The United States’
commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid”, the State
Department said late on Saturday, as it warned
that China’s “attempts to intimidate” the island
are a threat to regional peace.
The comments are the first from
Washington on relations with Taiwan since
President Joe Biden’s inauguration last week,
and came on the same day Taipei reported
multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown
into its air defence zone.
State Department spokesman Ned Price
said it “notes with concern the pattern of
ongoing PRC attempts to intimidate its
neighbours, including Taiwan” and “urges
Beijing to cease its pressure against Taiwan”.
drug money through businesses springing up
in Southeast Asia’s Mekong region – including
casinos, hotels and real estate.
Australia’s federal police said Friday’s arrest
followed an operation that in 2012 and 2013
nabbed 27 people linked to a crime syndicate
spanning five countries.
The group were accused of importing
“substantial quantities of heroin and
methamphetamine” into Australia, long a
lucrative market for drug traffickers.
“The syndicate targeted Australia over a
number of years, importing and distributing
large amounts of illicit narcotics, laundering the
profits overseas and living off the wealth
obtained from crime,” Australian police said.
As part of the 2012-2013 raids across
Melbourne, police seized A$9 million (RM28
million) worth of assets, including cash,
designer handbags, casino chips and jewellery.
The arrest of Tse almost a decade after that
operation’s launch is a major breakthrough for
Australian authorities.
The statement said Washington would
continue to work on “deepening” ties with
democratic Taiwan.
Taiwan’s ministry of national defence said
13 People’s Liberation Army aircraft, including
eight bombers and four jets, entered its defence
zone on Saturday.
In a tweet yesterday, Taipei’s ministry of
foreign affairs thanked the US for its statement
of support “in the face of Beijing’s ongoing
coercion.”
In a symbolic gesture, Taiwan’s de facto
ambassador to the US was formally invited to
Biden’s inauguration in what Taipei said was a
precedent-setting first since Washington
switched recognition to Beijing in 1979. – AFP
The country’s attorney-general Christian
Porter will now begin preparing a formal
extradition request for the alleged drug lord to
face trial.
Most of Asia’s meth comes from “Golden
Triangle” border areas between Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand and southwest China
which are pumping unprecedented quantities
of synthetic drugs into global markets.
A study by the UNODC says Southeast Asia’s
crime groups are netting more than US$60
billion a year.
The production of methamphetamine –
either in tablet “yaba” form or the highly potent
crystallised “ice” version – as well as ketamine
and fentanyl, take place primarily in
Myanmar’s eastern Shan state, but much of the
precursor chemicals needed to cook them
flows across the border from China.
Thailand in 2018 netted more than 515
million yaba tablets, 17 times the amount for
the entire Mekong region a decade ago, the
UNODC said.
Drug hauls feature near daily in headlines
across the region, with traffickers finding more
creative ways to ship out their illicit products.
– AFP
11 pulled out
alive in China
mine rescue
BEIJING: Rescuers in east China
yesterday pulled 11 miners from
hundreds of metres underground where
they had been trapped for two weeks,
broadcaster CCTV reported, as the race
to locate the remaining 10 intensified.
The miners were brought to the
surface starting from around 11am – a
major breakthrough for a rescue
operation that has captivated the nation.
One miner was in “extremely weak
physical condition” and rushed to
hospital, CCTV said.
The 11 miners were rescued after the
air ventilator shaft was cleared, the
official state news agency Xinhua said,
citing the operation’s command centre.
A further 10 remain unaccounted for.
Specialist teams have been battling
difficult conditions since an explosion at
the Hushan mine in Shandong province
trapped the miners underground amid
rising waters on Jan 10.
The explosion occurred in a ventilator
shaft, causing a blockage that damaged
the cable car.
Early yesterday, the huge obstacles
suddenly fell to the bottom of the shaft,
allowing the operation to take a big step
forward, rescue expert Du Bingjian said.
“After the obstacles fell to the bottom
of the shaft, the rescue team started to
bring up the miners and suspended the
drilling work,” Du told the Global Times
newspaper.
“It is currently unclear when the
rescuers will reach the Sixth Central
Section where the missing miners are
believed to be.”
State broadcaster footage yesterday
showed a small elevator carriage lifted to
the surface, accompanied by rescue
workers.
A masked man, who appeared unable
to stand, was carried out.
Later footage showed emergency
workers lifting out other miners, who
wore black shades to protect their eyes
from the light.
One appeared to be holding his hands
as if praying. – AFP
 7
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021

NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS

Huge vaccination First NZ Covid community

initiative in India falters
oA third of recipients fail to show up for appointments
NEW DELHI: India’s huge coronavirus
vaccination drive is behind schedule,
with a third of recipients not showing
up for appointments because of safety
fears, technical glitches and a belief that
the pandemic is ending.
After one week, India has vaccinated
1.4 million people, or 200,000 per day.
It had initially hoped to process
300,000 per day before ramping up the
rollout and inoculating 300 million by
July.
At the Sharda Hospital in Greater
Noida near New Delhi, pharma student
Khushi Dhingra, 17, hugged a friend
and wept as she waited to get her shot.
“I am very afraid. I hate needles and
I am worried about side effects.
“My papa is very worried too. He is
calling me again and again to make
sure I am okay,” she told AFP.
“There are about 80 students in my
batch but only two have opted to get the
shot,” nursing student Sakshi Sharma,
21, said.
“My friends are saying there will be
side effects, that you can even get
paralysis.”
Side effects are a common fear, with
a few cases of severe reactions – and
even deaths – reported widely in the
media and circulating wildly on
Facebook and WhatsApp.
In the eastern state of West Bengal,
health chief Ajoy Chakraborty said
turnout was just under 70%, calling it
“not encouraging”.
“We could have achieved our target
if some hadn’t backed out after seeing
television reports of adverse effects
following immunisation.”
But nursing student Alisha Khan, 20,
said people were also hesitant because
of the “rushed” approval of the locally
developed Covaxin that has not yet
completed Phase 3 trials.
“Why are they trying to experiment
on us? First, they should have
completed trials in a proper way.
“I am shivering already out of fear.”
Dhingra, in the end, did not get a
shot after staff realised she was under
18. She had, however, received a text
telling her to come for the vaccination
from the IT system managing the
mammoth process.
The government says that this and
other glitches are being ironed out.
One was that if a person did not
show up for vaccination, someone else
could not simply take their place.
This led to unfinished vaccine vials –
which contain a certain number of
doses and have to be used that day –
being thrown away.
Also hurting the effort is
complacency with the number of
coronavirus infections and deaths in
India falling sharply in recent months.
“In the beginning when there was
lockdown, (villagers) were very scared
of the virus,” said Asha Chauhan, who is
part of vaccination efforts in rural areas.
“Now that fear has gone because
cases have come down. They feel
corona has gone from our country.
“They fear they will die if they take
the vaccine.”– AFP
case in two months
WELLINGTON: New Zealand
health officials yesterday
confirmed the first case of
Covid-19 in the community for
more than two months, sparking
urgent contract-tracing efforts
north of Auckland.
A 56-year-old woman who
recently returned from Europe
tested positive 10 days after
completing a compulsory two
weeks in managed isolation,
although she had noticed
symptoms several days before
getting tested.
Contact tracing was underway
after it was revealed the woman
and her husband spent several
days travelling around the
Northland region while she was
potentially infectious, visiting
about 30 different locations.
Health minister Chris Hipkins
said it was too soon to decide
whether a full or partial lockdown
would be reintroduced.
“We don’t know the origin or
the strain of the infection,” he told
a press conference.
The woman returned to New
Zealand on Dec 30 after spending
four months in Europe – mainly in
Spain and the Netherlands – and
was released from an Auckland
quarantine hotel on Jan 13.
New Zealand director-general
of health Ashley Bloomfield said
she had returned two negative
tests while in isolation, and her
husband had not shown any
symptoms.
It marks the first known case of
community transmission in New
Zealand since Nov18.
Authorities were reviewing
closed-circuit television footage to
see if the woman contracted the
virus while in the managed
isolation facility.
More than 600 people who had
spent time in the hotel have been
asked to self-isolate and be
re-tested for Covid-19.
It is the second time a returnee
has developed coronavirus
symptoms after being cleared to
leave an isolation facility in New
Zealand.
A man who returned from
India in August returned two
negative tests in isolation but did
not start showing Covid
symptoms until five days after his
release.
New Zealand has been widely
praised for its handling of the
pandemic, with just 25 deaths
from 1,927 confirmed virus cases
in a population of five million.
– AFP

BRIEFS
STURGEON VOWS
‘LEGAL’ REFERENDUM
LONDON: Scotland’s first minister
Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday she
planned to hold a legal referendum
on independence from Britain. If
her Scottish National Party wins
regional elections in May, she
would seek a fresh referendum
even though Prime Minister Boris
Johnson has said such a vote
should only be held once in a
generation. “I want to have a legal
referendum, that is what I am going
to seek the authority of the Scottish
people for in May and if they give
me that authority, that’s what I
intend to do,“ she said. Johnson
“will flatly refuse the demand“,
government sources said. – AFP

PIRATES KILL SAILOR,

A woman faces off with riot policemen during a rally in support of Navalny in Moscow on Saturday. – REUTERSPIX
Russian police crack down on protests, thousands held
MOSCOW: Police detained more
than 3,000 people and used force to
break up rallies across Russia on
Saturday as tens of thousands of
protesters ignored extreme cold and
police warnings to demand the
release of Kremlin critic Alexei
Navalny.
Navalny had called on his
supporters to protest after being
arrested as he returned to Russia
from Germany for the first time
since being poisoned with a nerve
agent he says was slipped to him by
state security agents in August.
The authorities had warned
people to stay away from Saturday’s
demonstrations, saying they risked
catching Covid-19 as well as
prosecution and possible jail time
for attending an unauthorised
event.
But protesters defied the ban
and, in at least one case in
temperatures below -50°C, turned
out in force.
Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally,
called on them to do the same next
weekend to try to free Navalny from
what he called “the clutches of his
killers”.
In central Moscow, where
Reuters reporters estimated up to
40,000 people had gathered in one
of the biggest unauthorised rallies
for years, police were seen roughly
detaining people, bundling them
into nearby vans.
Ivan Zhdanov, a Navalny ally, put
turnout in the capital at 50,000, the
Proekt media outlet reported.
Some protesters chanted “Putin
is a thief”, and “Disgrace” and
“Freedom to Navalny!”
Navalny’s wife Yulia was briefly
detained before being released.
Some of Navalny’s political allies
were detained in the days before the
protest, others on the day itself.
At one point, protesters
surrounded a sleek black car with a
flashing light used by senior
officials, throwing snowballs at it
and kicking it. A group of policemen
were also pelted with snowballs by a
much bigger crowd.
The OVD-Info protest monitor
group said 3,435 people, including
1,360 in Moscow and 523 in St.
Petersburg, had been detained at
rallies in about 100 towns and cities.
Navalny, a 44-year-old lawyer, is
in a Moscow prison pending the
outcome of four legal matters he
describes as trumped up.
He accuses President Vladimir
Putin of ordering his attempted
murder.
Putin has dismissed that, alleging
Navalny is part of a U.S.-backed dirty
tricks campaign to discredit him.
– Reuters
KIDNAP 15 OFF NIGERIA
ANKARA: Armed men killed one
sailor and abducted 15 from a
Turkish cargo ship off the coast of
Nigeria, Turkey’s Anadolu news
agency reported yesterday. That
left three injured crew members to
sail the Liberian-flagged Mozart.
The dead man was Azerbaijani. The
Mozart had been en route from
Nigeria to South Africa when it was
boarded on Saturday. It was now
on course for nearby Gabon. “I do
not know where I am heading,“ says
a voice on a recording posted on
Twitter and purported to be the
latest captain of the Mozart. “The
pirates cut the cables, only the
radar is working,“ he says. – AFP
ERRONEOUS TSUNAMI
WARNING CAUSES PANIC
SANTIAGO: A 7.1-magnitude
earthquake that struck on Saturday
off the coast of Antarctica triggered
a tsunami warning but panic
ensued when a message to
abandon coastal areas was sent to a
large number of Chileans. The
shallow Antarctic quake struck at
8.36pm in the sea east of Chile’s
Eduardo Frei base, prompting the
National Emergency Office to urge
evacuation from “the beach area”.
Due to technical error, the warning
had accidentally gone out to a large
portion of the country’s 18 million
inhabitants rather than those in the
Antarctic region. – AFP
 8 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
SPEAK UP

Light at the end of COMMENT by Jordan Tan

Reading the key to greatness
the political tunnel THE saying we are what we eat also
applies to the kind of book we read
daily. We are what we read and reflect.
The CEOs of the top Fortune 500
Mind mapping guru Tony Buzan,
who has a following of 250 million
readers around the globe, states very
clearly in his book about the human

I
companies read on average about 60 mind, that human brain cells mature
N an earlier take I had development are deeply It sounds like it’s very difficult or books a year. That’s is more than a book and multiply and grow depending on
proposed a national O THER TA entrenched in the almost impossible to execute. But each week of their lives. stimuli from the outside world such as
unity government as N communal structure of nothing is impossible in politics. A person’s growth in life in the mind words, sound, voice, music or sounds
KE
A

an interim political our political parties and Right? and intellectual acumen, in his ability related to mathematical computation,
solution to the crisis that the communal ideologies to assess a situation, or make a decision human conversation.
Malaysia is currently that the parties are Is it still too early for non- wisely takes many cross pollination of A baby who has been exposed has a
facing. beholden to. communal political parties ideas from reading other people’s 30 million word advantages compared
I was optimistic that a Y It is this ultimately fatal Other early political leaders, notably thoughts and experiences in life. with another who is less exposed to
majority of our public – if LIM T K GHE flaw in the political system
B

Datuk Panglima Abdul Wahab and A reader of books is better off in life human interaction and attention of the
EC
polled on the subject – would which needs to be addressed if Datuk Onn Jaafar, have tried to set up due to a rich variety of books which his same age.
be in favour of a unity government the country’s communities are not to non-communal political parties and mind has assimilated and acquired in A mind which has been stimulated
and the political stability which it be splintered even more badly than advocated for non-communal his constant enjoyment in the and stretched by these stimuli, whether
can bring. today. politics as the right way forward for pleasures of reading. The habit of they be mathematical formulas or
The reality is that further political I had earlier written: the country. Abdul Wahab even reading often enriches us in ways music, or words or language can never
infighting continuing into the next (Our leaders) should be introduced a motion in the Perak beyond measure. return to its original dimension.
general election will provide fertile encouraged in this (unity State Legislative Assembly to ban Reading makes a full man, speaking Reading by a parent to the unborn
ground for the spiralling of the government) endeavour and be communal political parties from makes a ready man, writing makes an child in the womb therefore, wires the
country’s politics, economy and reminded of the inspirational quote participating in municipal and town exact man. The ability to communicate baby’s mind to the passion and
society into a disaster zone. that “opportunity lies in every crisis”. If council elections in the state. (my effectively and persuasively is the mark pleasure of words.
I had also noted that the they succeed in doing so, they will also article A Giant of Political Integrity, of greatness. Once the nerve cells and brain cells
challenge to put together a national have the opportunity to bring about a March 1, 2020 refers). In 1971, I read Magnus Pyke’s have been so wired by these exposures,
unity government will require a level reboot of a decaying political system They and others failed. Perhaps classic nutrition book Food and society the passion for books or reading is
of statesmanship missing in the past which has been shackled by the rise of they were too far ahead of their time published in 1968 and from his already formed in the mind of the baby.
but that this is not beyond our ethno-religious politics. That reboot in advocating for the establishment nutritional insights, my life has been In the womb a baby open, eager,
leaders if they have the nation’s may very well also usher in a period of non-communal political parties. tremendously transformed for the free from any limitation or prejudice is
interest at heart. of better governance, accountability Naysayers and pessimists today better. a mind nurtured before birth for
We can learn from other and transparency to bolster national will point to a myriad of reasons why Now at age 68, all my organs are learning. That is sowing the seed of
countries with unity governments on resilience. the present dominance of intact and I am free from any ailments greatness to learn anything through
how to transit into and benefit from Can the current political crisis communal parties in Malaysia will that has affected seniors of my reading.
this temporary political solution as provide the opportunity to reboot continue for the medium and even generation such as diabetes, high If the government were to use all the
well as rely on the guidance from our our political system? long term. cholesterol and heart disease or high mass media available to educate and
own constitutional experts and Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew of the However, the counter to this blood pressure thanks to the positive encourage young parents to start this
stakeholders on the considerations DAP has suggested the following narrative has already taken root and effects of this book and the valuable new habit of communicating with their
that are necessary to ensure option for his party’s future can only grow. influences of nutrition truth, which unborn souls in the womb, this nation
legitimacy and effectiveness. development: From East Malaysia, Datuk Seri lingered in my mind all these years. will have a bright future. Malaysians as
To date, despite their incessant There’s one sure way of removing Shafie Apdal’s call – “We Are Here To Never underestimate the power of a a whole read on the average two books
and intense politicking, no one such (racial political) ammunition Build A Nation, Not A Particular Race good book in changing your life for the a year. That’s why we are where we are.
among our topmost political leaders from racists ... But it calls for huge Or Religion” – has resonated and better. The greatest resource of a human
has rejected outright the possibility sacrifices on the part of party fired the imagination of the younger Of course, Magnus Pyke is a starting being lies in the space between his two
of establishing an inclusive and founders and leaders of DAP and generation of Malaysians looking for point and I went on to acquire other ears. The human mind.
crisis-management-focused unity other PH components. a new beginning. equally interesting books on health. If we invest in this organ, diligently
government. I mean, we could dissolve all three Old and new social movements A person who does not read is no and passionately, the future of this
They should be encouraged to parties at one go ie DAP, Amanah such as Aliran, Gabungan Bertindak better than a person who cannot read. nation will unfold its own greatness in
put aside their individual quest for and PKR to dissolve and form a single Malaysia and Malaysian Action for It is a waste of human resources when, due time.
power and to redouble the efforts to multiracial party, with a pluralistic Justice and Unity are rejecting as a nation, the population does not The ability to reason is the mark of a
cut through the Gordian knot of and all-Malaysian outlook. conventional race-based politics to read widely and consistently. greatness of mind useful to society.
partisan politics. That way, all historical baggages change the country’s social and How do you inculcate this life A great shining nation needs many
However, an interim unity and negative images and perceptions political landscape. surviving skill such as a love for books such minds, nurtured from young to
government can only provide a will come to an end overnight. All It is not only the dreamers and into a person? enjoy the exercise of the mind by the
temporary solution to the crisis of gone in the wind as the new single idealists in our society who are The best starting point is from the power of reason.
our national politics dominated party will have a new name and a cognisant that now is the time to womb, after conception. A fetus In this internet age, the access to
since Merdeka by the rise of ethno- new logo. No more Rocket, Blue Eye push for non-communal political already has a desire to communicate connect with great minds is made all
religious politics and communal and Triangle. parties and non-communal politics with the outside world soon after the more conveniently by Google
political parties. But of course, this can only before it is too late. conception. search to seek any great mind of our
happen with the approvals of all To gain this insight, from a prenatal choice. The reading of quality, worthy
Rising above racial and religious party leaders and members. And it Lim Teck Ghee’s Another Take is psychological prospective, read this books is the first step of a journey to
politics certainly calls for huge sacrifices of the aimed at demystifying social book by Dr Thomas Verny The Secret attain greatness to come.
The most divisive and toxic factors in founders and leaders of these parties orthodoxy. Comments: life of the unborn child a 1981 January
our political and national in order to make it happen. letters@thesundaily.com publication. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

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COMMENT by Akhbar Satar
Is our 2020 CPI worse than 2019?
T
RANSPARENCY International
will be releasing its 23rd
annual Corruption
Perceptions Index (2020 CPI)
on Jan 28 at 12.45pm via live streaming
on Zoom.
The index ranks 180 countries
by their perceived levels of public
sector corruption.
The CPI is the leading global
indicator of public sector
corruption, offering a yearly
snapshot of the relative degree of
corruption by ranking countries
from all over the globe.
Malaysia’s ranking in the CPI
2019 jumped 10 places to rank 51,
compared with 2018 where it
ranked 61 out of 180 countries
surveyed.
It scored 53 points compared
with 47 points in the 2018 index.
There was a significant
improvement both in ranking and
score in 2019, which was also the
country’s best score over the last
two decades.
A country’s rank indicates its
position relative to the other
countries in the index.
The smaller the ranking, the less
corrupt a country is perceived to
be.
On the other hand, the
country’s score indicates the
perceived level of public sector
corruption on a scale of zero
(highly corrupt) to 100 (very
clean).
Thus, countries with a higher score
will rank much higher in position (as
being less corrupt) compared with
lower-scoring countries.
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015-2019
Year 2015 2016 2017
Ranking 54 55 62
Score 50 49 47
Countries 168 176 168
COMMENT by Muzaffar Syah Mallow
Stop hate speech and harassment
PRIME Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin recently urged,
during the inaugural Asean Digital
Ministers’ Meeting for Association
of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean), for a tougher stance
against hate speech, including
harassment and that it should be
taken seriously by all, including
Malaysia.
Hate speeches and harassment
are serious issues that need to be
addressed due to the harmful
effects they can bring to a victim
and society as a whole.
There cannot be any room for
any type of hate speech or
harassment to take place if we
really want to live in a safe and
peaceful environment.
The issue concerning them is of
importance for Malaysia because
as a multi-racial country, Malaysia
can easily fall into endless violence
and chaos if we allow hate
speeches and harassment to
continue.
As such, strong steps need to be
taken to prevent them. Stern action
needs to be taken against anyone
who utters anything hateful and
commits any form of harassment
towards anyone.
The CPI is a poll of polls, a
composite index that combines CPI 2019 Least Corrupt Countries
data and a range of surveys done
by business people from around Country 2018 2018
the world, including local experts Rank Score
and analysts working in the
countries evaluated. Denmark 1 88
Malaysia is using nine out of 13 New Zealand 2 87
secondary sources to calculate Finland 3 85
2020 CPI. Singapore 3 85
Sweden 3 85
What the CPI measures Switzerland 3 85
The data sources used to compile Norway 7 84
the index are as follows:
1. Bribery
2. Diversion of public funds 3. Illicit financial flows
3. Use of public office for private 4. Enablers of corruption
gain (lawyers, accountants,
4. Nepotism in the civil service financial advisers etc.)
5. State capture 5. Money laundering
6. The government’s ability to 6. Any type of private sector
enforce integrity mechanisms corruption
7. The effective prosecution of 7. Informal economic and
corrupt officials markets
8. Red tape and excessive
bureaucratic burden Least corrupted countries
9. The existence of adequate The top countries are New
laws on financial disclosure, Zealand and Denmark, with scores
conflict of interest prevention of 87 each, followed by Finland
and access to information (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85)
10. Legal protection for and Switzerland (85).
whistleblowers, journalists New Zealand and Denmark
and investigators have a longstanding reputation as
countries with little corruption in
What the CPI does not measure both the public and private
and capture sectors.
Based on criteria included from
their external sources, the Country to watch
following aspects are not captured Botswana is the least corrupt
in the CPI: country in Africa with a score of 61
1. Citizens’ perceptions or points and ranked 34 out of 100
experience on corruption countries.
2. Tax fraud Sound ethical political
leadership, transparency and
accountability in government;
merit-based and adequately paid
civil service; independent,
2018 2019 2020 empowered and well-resourced
anti-corruption commission, and
61 51 ? prudent natural resource
47 53 ? management are among the
180 180 180 strategies to fight corruption in
Source: Transparency International 2021 Botswana.
There are various ways to They can be made based on
prevent hate speeches and individual background, race,
harassment. religion, nationality, skin colour,
The most common way of physical appearance, age, gender,
preventing it is by way of education sexual orientation and others.
and creating awareness among the The effects of hate speech and
public about the issue. harassment are serious as they will
The other way is by creating affect not only the victims and
strong legislation. their families but also the society,
Malaysia can consider creating and bring endless instability to the
specific and comprehensive laws country.
which can effectively deal with It is due to these reasons that it
these issues. is important for our country to
It is very important for us to consider creating a comprehensive
realise that hate speech and piece of legislation to combat these
harassment cover a wide range of issues.
behaviours or even statements that The government can consider
are offensive in nature. creating a special committee to
They are commonly understood analyse the above proposal.
as any rude statements or acts that Comparative studies can be
are intended to demean, abuse, carried out with other countries
hurt, insult, humiliate or which have created specific anti-
embarrass any individual. harassment laws of their own like
In the legal sense, these are the Harassment Act, 1997 in New
behaviours that appear to be Zealand and the Protection from
disturbing, upsetting or even Harassment Act, 1997 in the United
threatening to the victim. Kingdom.
Hate speeches and harassment At the same time, it is also very
normally evolve from important for us to protect
discriminatory grounds, and have everybody from hate speech and
an effect of nullifying or impairing harassment.
a person from benefiting from their No one should be denied their
rights. right over such protection
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
2019 2019
Rank Score
1 88
1 87
3 87
4 85
4 85
4 85
7 84
Source: Transparency International 2020
Most Corrupted Countries
Somalia ranked 180 with a score of
nine on the 2019 CPI. South Sudan
ranked 179 with a score of 12
points.
Prediction on CPI 2020 for
Malaysia
There is a high likelihood that the
CPI 2020 rank for Malaysia will
drop, but with no statistically
significant changes in their score.
This is due to political
instability, a weak economy and
lack of good governance.
The relationship between
politics, money and corruption is
something to be considered.
Keeping big money out of
politics is essential to ensuring
political decision-making serves
the public interest and curbing
opportunities for corrupt deals.
Corruption is the abuse of
entrusted power. It is incumbent
on the government and the public
to strengthen our corruption-
prevention measures to curb the
scourge.
Malaysians, particularly
politicians and civil servants, must
be more aggressive in assisting to
curb corruption.
CPI is based on the elite’s
perceptions rather than objective
data. Therefore, business elite’s
perceptions are the key ingredients
of CPI.
regardless of their gender and even
sexual orientation and this
includes the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) minority
groups.
Any forms of name-calling
which are insulting and abusive
should be prohibited entirely.
Action must be allowed to be
taken against anyone who utters
such rude and offensive words or
any other hideous and improper
words against this minority group
or anyone under all existing laws in
the country or under any proposed
law to curb hate speeches and
harassment itself.
Any forms of name calling
against this group should be halted
immediately, if not it could give
rise to more hatred which can
bring about serious harm and
violence.
Their own life might also be at
risk if name-calling and hatred is
allowed to continue with
impunity.
It is also vital to note that the
LGBT minority group has been
marginalised, abused, despised
and neglected in almost every
known society in many countries.
Due to this, they have been
9
SPEAK UP
However, the impact of MACC’s
arrests directly affect the CPI
positively if not the score could
have been worse. It also creates a
positive vibe that changes the
public perception on corruption.
The CPI has increasingly
become a highly-regarded and
influential survey of good
governance as well as a key marker
in international efforts to fight
corruption.
Furthermore, studies show that
there is a correlation between CPI
standing and economic growth.
CPI standing can influence the
rate of foreign direct investment, as
investors increasingly recognise
the evils of corruption and stay
away from countries that are
perceived to be corrupt.
Indeed, the CPI is a helpful and
known tool to measure
corruption.
It is an indicator to inform the
public at large whether corruption
continues to plague the country
However, the CPI’s criteria are
the best in the absence of an
alternative, better tool.
Capturing the perceptions of
those in the elite position of the
public sector is the most reliable
method of comparing relative
corruption levels across
countries.
Sometimes, reality can be worse
than perception.
In the end, how a country
responds to a poor CPI rating
indicates whether a government is
serious about dealing with such a
social and political disease.
The writing is on the wall for
Malaysia – our slide indicates
things are getting worse.
Will the government address the
issue?
Akhbar Satar is Malaysia
Association of Certified Fraud
Examiners president. Comments:
letters@thesundaily.com
subjected to hostile treatment from
people, including being subjected
to hate speeches and many kinds
of harassment.
Regardless of people’s views
and perceptions towards this
minority group, no one should be
subjected to any kind of hate
speeches and harassment.
Though Islam does not
recognise such a group, it does not
mean we can utter words of hate,
harass and humiliate them.
In general, the effect of hate
speeches and any kind of
harassment, including sexual
harassment on a victim is severe.
It can affect their mind,
emotions and life with devastating
consequences.
In the worst case scenario, it
might also lead to a long and deep
depression, maybe even suicide.
Due to this, it is important for us
to stop all kinds of hate speeches
and harassment against anyone,
including minority groups.
Muzaffar Syah Mallow is a senior
lecturer of Faculty of Syariah and
Law at Universiti Sains Islam
Malaysia (USIM). Comments:
letters@thesundaily.com
10 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
MEDIA & MARKETING

HITZ reports 12%

increase in local
music on the station
HITZ, Malaysia’s No.1 English station is
pleased to announce a 12% increase in local
representation of music on its playlists on air,
with local music available every hour of every
day. In mid-2020 HITZ made a commitment to
support more local music and talent. To this
end the radio brand collaborated with leaders
representing the
local music
industry to
develop the
Malaysian Music
Panel in an effort
to raise the
standard for local
music and talent.
This has
resulted in vast
and phenomenal
diversification of
the local talent
pool featured on
air, ranging from
TikTok stars to Priya: ‘We remain
home DJs – a committed to discovering
testament to how more local talents and
Malaysians truly content in 2021.’
boleh (can), even Catalysts are employees who often have original and disruptive ideas.
as they are bench-marked against

Visions of the future

international artistes.
Priya Prabakaran (pix), Network Content
Manager, English Radio Brands, Astro Radio,
said “We have come across some amazing
local talent and music since this began and we
remain committed to discovering more local
talents and content in 2021.” As Fast Company reminds us, the catalyst’s
To highlight these local talents even further,
HITZ also introduced multiple digital features,
oWhat does ‘catalyst’ refer to in the work qualities and skills are in line with thriving in a
time of “VUCA,“ which pandemic-era 2020 is a
interview segments and music specials
including the Fresh Hitz Friday which plays
environment? perfect example of. Initially, this military term
was used by the US Army War College in the

new local and international music as soon as
they are released, Hitz Sessions providing an
acoustic version of the hit local song, Behind
The Hit which gives fans an explanation and
story behind a local song, and Soundtrack of
My Life where local artistes takeover HITZ for
an hour, curating and playing their choice of
songs that have inspired them.
The industry leaders serve on the panel on
a rotation basis and curate a playlist of local
tracks to be played on air. The local tracks are
submitted to the panellists without identifying
the musician so that panel’s selection remains
objective and neutral. Prior to this, Malaysian
artistes were featured exclusively only over an
hour on weekends. Industry leaders will take
turns to serve on the panel, thus ensuring a fair
and diverse selection of local music on HITZ
daily main playlist on-air and on the SYOK
app. The role of the panel remains also to
identify and develop local, promising music
talents.
Aspiring local musicians looking to get
their tracks produced can also send in
their demo recordings to HITZ via
hitzmalaysia@gmail.com.
I
N a business context, a catalyst is an
innovative and creative employee. They
are capable of coming up with precise
ideas about moving forward even during
more uncertain times such as the one we are
currently experiencing with Covid-19. It’s
important to be able to identify these
individuals in order to give new momentum to
– or provide continuity for – the projects of
your organisation.
In the world of business of 2021, the
“catalyst” has all the makings of employee of
the year. They are curious, with a seemingly
limitless ability to come up with and propose
groundbreaking and positive ideas, and an
ability to project themselves into the future
and to delineate a precise vision, almost
destabilising by its accuracy. According to the
media Fast Company, catalysts have the
“natural ability to create positive visions of the
future in a sea of uncertainty and help drive
organisations towards that better future.”
These catalysts are agents of change. They
are indispensable pillars for the adoption of a
new vision or new projects, which many of
their colleagues do not see clearly. But how
can one recognise a catalyst? They are often
impatient with the current state of affairs, and
their activity can make others dizzy. Their pace
is frenetic. They come up with ideas, and they
are often described at best as original and at
worst as marginal.
However, the greatest difficulty is not
identifying them within the teams, but rather
giving them enough space to express
themselves because they have real leadership
qualities as well as a desire to change things to
do them better. “They would with their
infectious attitude towards change be able to
convince those who are sceptical about the
change initiatives,” says the educational portal
Management Study Guide (MSG).
These catalysts become all the more
important in periods of transition. A change in
corporate culture, a new manager or dealing
with issues brought on by the covid-19
pandemic, these employees are key for
confronting organisational upheavals and
finding a way to navigate through the “sea of
uncertainty”.
1990s to describe adapting to the end of the
Cold War.
The acronym VUCA is used to describe a
complex and uncertain world that is changing
rapidly and therefore to help define the axes
that companies can use to improve their
leadership and management within such a
context. VUCA stands for volatility (decisions
to be taken in a situation and adjustments to
be made according to its evolution);
uncertainty (the uncertainty that governs a
company regarding the consequences of the
appearance of an unexpected competitor in its
market); complexity (the complexity of
interacting with a greater number of players,
companies, sectors) and ambiguity (not
necessarily distinguishing between cause and
effect relationships).
This acronym defines our ever-changing
lifestyles, with the four letters serving as a kind
of guide in a changing world.
So to respond to the changes created by the
pandemic and the challenges that businesses
are facing to survive and continue to innovate,
these catalysts seem to be the visionaries you
need to have with you. – AFP-Relaxnews
 SunBIZ
MONDAY
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INDICES
KL MARKET SUMMARY
January 22, 2021

CHANGE
Address weaknesses
before reintroducing GST
FBMEMAS 11,563.60 +30.25
FBMKLCI 1,596.74 +1.94
CONSUMER PRODUCTS 591.94 -0.70
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 177.35 -0.54
CONSTRUCTION 171.38 +1.15
FINANCIAL SERVICES 14,885.60 -1.13
ENERGY 834.07 -4.05 █ BY AMIR IMRAN HUSAIN SAFRI
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
HEALTH CARE
667.83
3,549.79
+4.99
+62.52
sunbiz@thesundaily.com oIt is crucial to get the timing and the
TRANSPORTATION 760.04 +3.43 rate right, experts say
PROPERTY 698.15 -2.04 PETALING JAYA: The potential
PLANTATION 7,223.16 -7.76 reintroduction of the good and
FBMSHA 13,048.90 +63.27 services tax (GST), against a the timing right. Everything else system which included zero-
FBMACE 10,758.00 +33.55 backdrop of a growing fiscal – from tax rate to extent of rated items and exemptions – or
TECHNOLOGY 80.64 +2.68 deficit, has to have previous exemption – is dependent on 3% if all goods and services are
weaknesses addressed first, tax the economic circumstances at affected.
TURNOVER VALUE experts say. the time GST is reintroduced,” “I don’t think the GST 2.0
6.634 BIL RM4.810 BIL One of the main bones of he said. rate should be higher than 6%
contention in the previous GST Malaysian Association of Tax as it will create an undue
regime was the delays Accountants (MATA) president burden to the people. It should
5 MOST ACTIVES
January 22, 2021
experienced in
reimbursement scheme, as the
the Datuk Abd Aziz Abu Bakar said
a return of the tax could take
be reintroduced at a 4-5% rate
as the people would also
law required all tax collection to place in 2022, to give time for welcome a discount compared
STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) be remitted to the federal the government to educate the to the old rate,” said Abd Aziz.
TRIVE-OR 319,540,500 0.5 UNCH consolidated fund with the people and the agencies He outlined that there is a
QES 266,133,300 38 +4 refunds then allocated to involved which would improve need for the government to 7.6% of the government’s
KSTAR 220,290,700 21 -4.5 customs from the consolidated its implementation. reintroduce the tax to trim its revenue in 2005-2014.
DNEX 185,375,500 26 +0.5 fund. He also stated that the fiscal deficit as it is one of the “Even before the pandemic
BIOHLDG 162,212,000 30 +4 “To prevent the late refund reintroduction of the tax has to best ways to raise revenue. hit Malaysia, there has been a
problems from recurring, the take note of the impact Covid- MIDF Research echoed this growing reliance on debts to
tax authorities must be given 19 has had on the economy and sentiment, as thus far, Malaysia finance public spending
5 TOP GAINERS
January 22, 2021
autonomy to operate
independently when any multi-
people’s livelihood.
Abd Aziz pointed out that
has been enjoying petroleum
income as a source of fiscal
activities. In the post-global
financial crisis period, the
stage tax such as GST is previously in formulating the revenue. outstanding amount of
STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) RM reintroduced,” Master GST tax, the government had set an However, since the onset of government debts has grown
DIN042300721 200 102.00 1.95 Guide’s author and TraTax’s tax ambitious time frame of 14 days Covid-19, there have been over the years to finance the
VITROX 996,900 16.80 0.90 advisor, Thenesh Kannaa (pix) for refunds, which has taken questions about the government’s fiscal deficits,” it
UWC 2,228,200 12.46 0.70 told SunBiz. years to be actually processed. government’s ability to said.
MPI 623,900 30.52 0.66 In August last year, Deputy “Should the government overcome the economic As a result, total public debts
UNISEM 5,354,500 8.30 0.57 Finance Minister II Mohd adopt a different approach for downturn with existing revenue increased from RM407 billion in
Shahar Abdullah told GST 2.0, going without schemes and without relying on 2010 to RM793 billion by 2019,
Parliament that the government exemption or zero-rated tax additional national debt – a registering a compound annual
5 TOPJanuary
LOSERS 22, 2021
has RM4.76 billion in GST
refunds outstanding since the
items, the refunds could be
done without the need for a
situation that has been
compounded by the global
growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7%. In
contrast, gross domestic
tax was abolished in June 2018. product (GDP) growth based on
STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) RM He cited invalid registrant current prices was only at CAGR
HSI-CBN 208,200 0.985 0.265 bank details and lack of of 6.8% in the same period.
HAPSENG 452,800 7.97 0.18 response in terms of feedback MIDF pointed out that
HSI-CBR 3,257,800 0.62 0.135 and documents among the proactive measures are needed
HSI-CBM 4,176,500 0.27 0.13 issues that led to the late to address this growing reliance
HSI-CBV 4,000 1.01 0.13 payment of refunds. on debts because it comes with
To prevent this same issue inreasing debt services charges.
from recurring, Thenesh Despite the temporary
EXCHANGE RATES JANUARY 22, 2021 suggested that tax authorities impact a reintroduction of GST
should be empowered to make could cause to consumer
Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy provisions for refunds or input sentiment, inflation and private
TT/OD TT OD tax credit, and to remit only the consumption, MIDF said that
1 US DOLLAR 4.0940 3.9670 3.9570
remainder of the tax collection when the economy starts to
into the federal consolidated stabilise and recovery is more
1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.1950 3.0670 3.0510 fund. certain, the fiscal consolidation
1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.0920 3.0000 2.9920 In regard to the impact of will need to happen to build
1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.2320 3.1440 3.1320 GST on inflation and consumer back the fiscal space for the
1 EURO 4.9880 4.8240 4.8040 sentiment, he highlighted that government.
simulation models projected “This will provide greater
1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.9650 2.8540 2.8380 that the prices of certain flexibility for the government to
One of main the bones of contention in the previous GST regime was
1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.0920 3.0000 2.9920 products and services would the delays experienced in the reimbursement scheme. – inject more support to the
1 STERLING POUND 5.6260 5.4460 5.4260 respond accordingly to the tax BERNAMAPIX economy and mitigate impacts
1 SWISS FRANC 4.6110 4.4980 4.4830 rate. from any future shocks, if
However, he noted that such refund request and Customs slump in oil prices last year. necessary. Initiatives can be
100 UAE DIRHAM 112.7200 106.8300 106.6300
simulation models do not take could employ a similar system The research house noted directed towards further
100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.9060 4.6040 4.4040 into account the behavioural to the Inland Revenue Board’s that before it was repealed in improving and diversifying the
100 CHINESE RENMINBI N/A N/A N/A aspects of consumers, hence refund process which takes 30 2018, GST collection was a government’s sources of
100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 53.3500 50.6800 50.4800 the actual impact of the pricing days,” he said. significant source of tax income income. Despite the sensitivity
is also dependent on societal As to the rate, the MATA for the government in 2015 to and controversy with the
100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.7000 5.3500 5.1500
perception and industry president noted that the 2017. implementation of GST in the
100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0303 0.0273 0.0223 confidence. existing SST has brought an Excluding 2015 when GST past, we could at least conclude
100 JAPANESE YEN 3.9570 3.8310 3.8210 With the possible average of RM28 billion in was collected for only three that the positive impact helped
100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR N/A N/A N/A reintroduction of GST, Thenesh revenue a year, while GST’s quarters, the annual GST to improve the government’s
cautioned that the tax rate average revenue a year was collection on average fiscal position,” it added.
100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 2.6000 2.4300 2.2300
cannot be set too low, as it has RM44 billion. contributed RM42.7 billion a The research house,
100 PHILIPPINE PESO 8.6400 8.1400 7.9400 to at least break even, to recoup Based on his calculations, a year to the government’s total however, stressed that clear
100 QATAR RIYAL 113.6200 107.8600 107.6600 the revenue forgone by the sales neutral rate which will bring the income in 2016-2017 or nearly communication is key to ensure
100 SAUDI RIYAL 110.3000 104.7100 104.5100 and service tax (SST) and the same amount of revenue to the 20% of annual revenue. In people are aware of the short-
additional compliance and government and won’t increase contrast, the combined term impact and the
100 THAI BAHT 14.2800 12.6600 12.2600
enforcement cost. the burden on the people would collection of SST accounted for government’s strategies to
Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama “In my view, it is vital to get be 4%, should it retain the old a smaller share or on average alleviate it.
12 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
SUNBIZ

Gifts – are they taxable?

THE TAXATION of gifts came into
limelight when the issue of the
RM2.6 billion political donation
received from the previous prime
minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak was questioned by Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad in 2016. At
that time, the Inland Revenue
Board (IRB) took the view that
political donations were not
taxable. Subsequently in 2019, they
reversed their position and
brought it to tax.
This change of mind by the IRB
has left taxpayers in an uncertain
environment. Currently whenever
the matters of gifts are raised, the
burden of proving that the gift is
not taxable is far more onerous on
the taxpayer.
Definition
The word “Gift” is not defined in the
Income Tax Act 1967. Gift generally
means “a voluntary transfer of money or
property without any consideration” or
“a personal gift or testimonial
given gratuitously without
expecting anything in
return”.
Taxability of gifts
When a gift is given
voluntarily on personal
grounds, and is
unconnected to an
employment, business
transaction or any profit-related
venture, it will not be taxable.
Normally gifts are given between
family members out of love and
affection or transferring wealth as
part of their succession plan. You
can also receive gifts from friends
and non-family members on the
grounds of kindness, compassion
and goodwill generated over the
years. In such situations, the gifts
are not taxable.
In the current tax environment,
you must be able to prove the gift
was voluntarily given, and this will
require you to disclose the
donor’s name. It is best
to obtain a letter from
the donor clearly
indicating the reason
for the gift and it was
given without any
expectation in return. In
the event the recipient is
an employee and the donor
is the employer, the nature and
reasons for the payment should be
clearly stated and the record
should be retained by both the
donor and recipient.
There are specific exemptions
under Schedule 6 of the Income
Tax Act 1967 for certain gifts and
two important ones are long
service awards (limited to RM2,000
for each year of assessment
provided the employee has been
with the same employer for more
than 10 years) and gratuity on
retirement from employment
(upon reaching the age of 55 or due
to ill health).
When does a problem arise?
The taxability of gifts usually
surfaces when the tax authorities
ask either the donor or the
recipient for capital statements to
determine whether there is any
undisclosed income. Very often,
taxpayers do not have
correspondence or documentation
to evidence the gift. Oral
explanations by one party to the
IRB are generally not acceptable.
When only one party provides the
explanation, there is suspicion that
the taxpayer is attempting to
conceal income.
In practice, if the taxpayer claims
that deposits into their bank
accounts are gifts, they must have
documentary evidence to
substantiate such entries, without
which, the IRB will bring it in as
undisclosed income. In such
instances, the donor needs to surface
and confirm providing the gift.
There are many types of
voluntary payments such as
collections voluntarily made by
employees to be given to fellow
employees or gifts in kinds
provided by friends and relatives
or even third parties in
appreciation of the public services
provided by the individuals
voluntarily should not be taxable.
Currently, donating money to the
frontliners for the hard work they
do in battling the Covid crisis will
not be taxable.
Final advice: It is best to
document the intention behind the
gifts and for the donor to be
prepared to disclose the source of
funds.
This article is contributed by
Thannees Tax Consulting Services
Sdn Bhd managing director SM
Thanneermalai.

A car body is WARRANTS WATCH

moved in a
production line at
the Volkswagen
plant in
Investors ‘put’ Hang
Wolfsburg,
Germany.
Volkswagen is
Seng Index as
reportedly in talks
with alternative
suppliers of
it breaches 30,000
semiconductors. THE Malaysia warrants market positive territory from Monday till
– REUTERSPIX posted a 22.3% week-on-week Thursday. Despite closing lower
decline in terms of turnover ti 1.5% lower at 29,461.0 on Friday,
RM313.1 million last week. the HSI futures is still up 3.1% week
Warrants over stocks continued on week.
to dominate the space with Macquarie’s put warrants HSI-
RM223.8 million traded, which HDO and HSI-HDT secured
accounted for 71.5% of the total second and third spot on the most
warrants turnover. popular warrants list with 126.0
Meanwhile, the Hang Seng million and 123.9 million units
Index (HSI) warrants saw an uptick traded. Among the two puts,
in trading interest last week at bearish investors took home 4.0

Volkswagen looks to claim damages from

RM76.3 million, which was 11.3% million units of HSI-HDT in
higher than in the prior week. anticipation for a market
On the local front, warrants over correction.H
suppliers over chip shortages: Magazine glove makers Top Glove and
Supermax were again investors’
Holders of another active
warrant, HSI-CBQ, took profit on
favourite last week given the higher the call warrant as the bid price
BERLIN: German car manufacturer Volkswagen is compensate the company for the resulting additional volatility in share prices lately. surged 35.5% week on week to track
looking into possible claims for damages against its costs, the magazine reported. Investors who saw the decline in the positive gains in the
suppliers Bosch and Continental due to a lack of Contacted by Reuters, a Volkswagen spokesman Top Glove’s and Supermax’s share underlying.
semiconductors, Automobilwoche magazine declined to comment, and Bosch and Continental prices as trading opportunities Call warrants move in line with
reported yesterday. did not immediately respond to requests for traded a total of 131.5 million units the underlying while put warrants
Automakers around the world are shutting comment. of TOPGLOV-C84 and 39.8 million more in an opposite direction to
assembly lines due to problems in the delivery See also The magazine cited Bosch company units of SUPERMX-C1A which the underlying.
of semiconductors, which in some cases have page 14 sources which said the car supplier was ready propelled these two warrants into
been exacerbated by the former Trump to discuss the matter directly with its customers the top 5 active warrants list. To view the full list of structured
administration’s actions against key Chinese and suppliers in due course. Do take note that both call warrants available on Bursa
chip factories. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has warrants will expire on Jan 29, Malaysia, visit
The shortage has affected Volkswagen, Ford Motor asked his Taiwanese counterpart Wang Mei-hua to 2021, which is a week from the time malaysiawarrants.com.my.
Co, Subaru Corp, Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co persuade Taiwanese manufacturers to help ease the of writing. Generally, warrants with
Ltd, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and other carmakers. shortage of semiconductor chips which is hampering a shorter time to expiry will Provided for Malaysian residents’
Citing people familiar with the matter, its fledgling economic recovery from the Covid-19 experience higher time decay information only. This commentary
Automobilwoche reported that Volkswagen was in pandemic. which can be translated into a has not been reviewed by the
talks with alternative suppliers of semiconductors but Altmaier asked Wang to address the issue in talks higher level of risk compared with Securities Commission Malaysia. It is
there were concerns this could lead to higher prices. with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, longer dated warrants. not an offer or recommendation to
Volkswagen wants to make sure that both Bosch the world’s largest contract chipmaker and one of Last week, the HSI carried on its trade and is not research material.
and Continental share the burden and partly Germany’s main suppliers. -Reuters outstanding performance in the Past performance is not indicative
first two weeks of the year to trade of future performance.You should

China Evergrande electric vehicles arm to raise HK$26b above the 30,000-point level for the
first time since late April 2019. The
January HSI futures started the
make your own assessment and seek
professional advice.
The warrants will not be offered to
week strong and finished in the any US persons.
HONG KONG: Property giant China Evergrande’s Holdings Ltd, Upper World Ltd, Heyirong
Hong-Kong listed electric vehicles firm said yesterday International Trade Co Ltd and Greenwoods Global
it would bring in six new investors to raise HK$26 Investment Ltd. Top warrants by volume traded:
billion (RM13.55billion) to fund technology research China Evergrande, the country’s most indebted
and repay debt. property developer, has been scrambling for cash as Warrant Volume Issuer Exercise Expiry date
China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Ltd will Beijing plans new debt-ratio caps to tackle what it name (mil) level
issue 952.4 million shares at HK$27.3 each to the new considers excessive borrowing in the real estate
investors who include China Gas Chairman Liu development sector. TOPGLOV-C84 131.5 CIMB 6.00 29 Jan 2021
Minghui and Chan Hoi-wan, spouse of Joseph Lau The company’s balance of interest-bearing HSI-HDO 126.0 Macquarie 27,800 29 Jan 2021
who is a Chinese Estate shareholder, the firm said. indebtedness was 716.5 billion yuan (RM447.2 billion) HSI-HDT 123.9 Macquarie 26,800 25 Feb 2021
The price offers a 9% discount to Friday’s close of at the end of 2020, down 157.8 billion yuan from HSI-CBQ 68.8 Macquarie 30,600 25 Feb 2021
HK$29.90, the company said in a filing to the Hong March. The developer said it targets to reduce the SUPERMX-C1A 39.8 CIMB 4.50 29 Jan 2021
Kong bourse. balance by a further 150 billion yuan this year. -
The other four new investors are Cosmic Success Reuters
 13
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021

* SUNBIZ

Choosing the right service arrive at a conclusion whether the

THE ACCOUNTANT‘S
PERSPECTIVE
WHENEVER you walk into an audit by a competent authority or
firm, one assumes that you are regulator, or during a forensic
interested to purchase an audit investigation where all transactions
service. But did you know that your within the population must be
auditor or Reporting Accountant can verified to ensure their authenticity.
also provide other types of services Since the scope of coverage is
under a varied spectrum of 100%, this allows for all exceptions to
assurance? be reported with certainty.
An important point for you to The flip-side is the cost – the effort
grasp is the level of assurance you and cost of providing such an
want to derive from these services. extensive service can be prohibitive.
The International Auditing & Please note that the IAASB currently
Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) does not promulgate any reporting
based in New York requires the standard on certification.
concept of assurance be understood In many jurisdictions, certification
before audit and review engagements work is undertaken by the legal
are to be undertaken. profession as it comes with many
Assurance, according to the caveats – possibly with the assistance
dictionary, is “a positive declaration of a good accountant.
intended to give confidence or a
promise”. Audit
IAASB’s standards applicable to The most common service rendered
audit and review define an assurance by an auditor – an audit – is a
engagement as “an engagement in statutory requirement for companies
which a practitioner aims to obtain under the Malaysian Companies Act
sufficient appropriate evidence in 2016. The auditor’s report will
order to express a conclusion include an opinion whether the
designed to enhance the degree of financial statements have been
confidence of the intended users prepared in all material respects in
other than the responsible party (i.e. accordance with the applicable
the preparer) about the subject financial reporting framework, e.g.
matter information, usually the the MFRS. The International
financial statement, for a specific Standards on Auditing (ISA) require
time frame.” the auditor to perform a variety of
These assurance engagements are audit procedures to obtain audit
classified on two dimensions, either a evidence that is appropriate and
reasonable or a limited assurance sufficient to reach an opinion with a
engagement but, in practice, the high, but not absolute, level of
spectrum of assurance can be wider. assurance, i.e. that the financial
statements are true and fair (as
Certification opposed to a certification which is
A certification report or ‘attestation’ in ‘true and correct’).
the US, provides an assurance level of An important distinction between
100%. In a certification engagement, an audit and a certification is that in an
the entire population of transactions audit, the auditor does not verify 100%
is examined, and any exceptions are of the transactions but is based on a
tabulated. The report will state that random sampling that is supposedly
the Reporting Accountant or auditor representative of the population. The
certifies the results of the examination concept of materiality is thus applied
to be accurate or has since tabulated in the audit work.
the results in a true and correct
manner (as opposed to true and fair) Review
for those transactions reported within A review involves your Reporting
a specific time frame under Accountant (instead of auditor)
examination. primarily making enquiries and
A certification is usually required performing analytical procedures to
financial statements are prepared in
accordance with the applicable
financial reporting framework. It is
typical that such report will states that
“Nothing has come to the attention of
the Reporting Accountant apart from
the following exception(s), if any.”
The planned nature, timing and
extent of procedures performed,
differing from the usual audit
procedures, depends on the nature
and circumstances of the review
engagement, and are undertaken to
obtain a limited assurance on
whether the Reporting Accountant is
aware of any matter that may cause
the financial statements to be
materially misstated. Hence, this type
of assurance is usually known as a
negative assurance report.
So, when is a review appropriate?
According to IFAC’s recent
publication, Choosing the Right
Service, a review is appropriate when:
0 The entity is exempted from
statutory audit requirement but users
such as shareholders or banks
require some form of limited
assurance;
0 It is requested by a group auditor
in respect of a subsidiary or business
unit forming part of the consolidated
group; and/ or
0 The management of a business
unit, requiring an additional control
mechanism in the oversight of the
overall financial reporting process,
specifically requests for this service as
an added assurance, albeit limited.
Compilation
Your Reporting Accountant will apply
accounting and financial reporting
expertise to assist you with the
preparation and presentation of
historical financial information,
based on your request. A compilation
engagement is not an assurance
engagement; the Reporting
Accountant does not obtain any
assurance after his work, but external
users such as lenders, insurers,
including yourself, will often value
the involvement of a professional
accountant in compiling such
financial information.
At the very least, the knowledge
that the Reporting Accountant will
not knowingly be associated with any
documents, reports or other
information that contain a materially
The auditor’s report will include an opinion whether the financial statements
have been prepared in all material respects in accordance with the applicable
financial reporting framework. Picture for representation purposes only. – AFPPIX
false or misleading statement is a
form of pseudo-assurance. It is part of
the accountant’s compliance with the
Malaysian Institute of Accountants’
(MIA) expansive code on
professional ethics. In addition, the
Reporting Accountant is also
required to report all matters that, in
their professional judgement, are of
sufficient importance to merit
management’s attention in the
course of their work.
So, when is a compilation
engagement appropriate? It is
appropriate:
0 When management may not have
the expertise nor time to prepare a
financial report and prefers to have
an external professional accountant
to do it; or
0 Where users need to know that a
professional accountant had some
form of involvement in the
preparation and presentation of the
financial statements.
Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUP)
In this case, your Reporting
Accountant performs procedures on
financial or non-financial subject
matters only upon agreement with
yourself, the engagement party, or
someone who specifically requested
for the report such as a competent
authority or a regulator. A report
communicating the procedures
performed and related findings will
be issued.
No assurance is obtained and
neither is a conclusion nor opinion
expressed; it is up to the readers to
reach their own conclusion. This is a
significant difference from a
certification service where your
Reporting Accountant renders an
opinion or conclusion based on the
results of work performed.
So, when are agreed-upon
procedures useful?
0 When management wants to focus
on specific areas of financial or non-
financial subjects to satisfy the
intended users’ needs, for example,
in comparing inventory balance to
inventory records, matching
accounts payable balances to third
party confirmations, tracing the use
of grants, or recalculating the volume
of greenhouse gas emissions for
submission to the authorities; or
0 When management seeks comfort
that certain disclosures required by
applicable reporting standards have
been provided. Moving forward, this
is especially relevant for the volume
of non-financial subject matter
information that needs to be
reported such as those related to
emerging environmental, social, or
governance reporting standards
(ESG standards).
Again, the comfort that the
Reporting Accountant will not
knowingly be associated with any
documents, reports or other
information that contain a materially
false or misleading statement, as part
of the accountant’s compliance with
the MIA’s professional code of ethics,
is a draw factor.
This article was contributed by
MICPA member, Johnny Yong who is
International Federation of
Accountants Technical Manager,
Global Accountancy Profession
Support.

Covid-19 pandemic gives huge boost to digital adoption

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia
Digital Economy Corporation’s
(MDEC) expectation to hit 20%
growth in e-commerce contribution
to the digital economy can be
achieved as the Covid-19 pandemic
has given a huge boost to digital
adoption among entrepreneurs.
Vice-president of digitally
powered businesses (industry-
supply) Gopi Ganesalingam said that
in 2019, the digital economy had
contributed 19.1% to Malaysia’s gross
domestic product (GDP).
“Sectors like MedTech, the Fourth
Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)
and Agri Tech will be forerunners in
2021, contributing to the rise in
digital revenue,” he told Bernama.
Gopi said Asean is one of the
fastest-growing economies in the
world. Connecting and promoting
Malaysian tech business to the
region, as a start, will be a huge boost.
He said Malaysia is already
holding leadership position in many
tech sectors.
“Export programmes such as
MDEC’s GAIN must be intensified to
move this further to position
Malaysia as the heart of digital
Asean,” he said.
Reskilling, upskilling and
producing good digital talent is
crucial for the digital economy
moving forward, he explained.
The gig economy is on the rise,
this needs to be harnessed and grown
to stay globally competitive.
“Programmes like GLOW assists
those in need of crowdsourcing
platforms to generate digital revenue.
From January to June last year, GLOW
generated an income totalling over
RM190 million,” Gopi said.
Meanwhile, Digital Content
Ecosystem (DiCE) – from January
2020 to June 2020 – was participated
by 324 companies, generated over
RM1.6 billion in revenue, and over
RM260 million in total exports.
For the e-commerce segment, the
National eCommerce Strategic
Roadmap (NESR) helped nearly
80,000 SMEs adopt e-commerce and
helped nearly 8,000 companies adopt
e-commerce for exports from January
to June 2020.
On Internet of Things (IoT),
MDEC’s data show that from January
In 2019, the digital economy contributed 19.1% to Malaysia’s gross domestic
product. – BERNAMAPIX
to June 2020, the National IoT
Framework helped to garner over
RM140 million in investments,
involved 283 companies, generated
over RM230 million in revenue and
generated over RM120 million in
total exports.
On drone technology, the Global
Test Bed has involved 84 companies
and raised over RM124 million in
investments.
On whether the implementation
of the National Entrepreneurship
Policy can turn Malaysia into a true
entrepreneurial nation by 2030, Gopi
said the policy needs to be led and
driven by various agencies under the
government, with digital being the
main driver.
“Most definitely. The government
needs to also embrace digital
transformation in their ministries
and agencies.
“Policies and regulations need to
keep up with the fast-paced
technology innovation in areas such
as Fintech, Industry 4.0, drone tech
and AI, and we need to ensure that
the policy is inclusive and will benefit
many,” he said.
“Malaysian startups are poised to
be regional champions. They have all
the necessary support to become
global players.
“Malaysian tech companies need
to continue innovating to stay ahead
of the game,” Gopi said.
“Malaysian companies need to
also start thinking global. Don’t build
solutions for one market. Build for the
global market and start addressing
global problems.
“Take advantage of the ample
government support – MDEC, the
Malaysian Global Innovation and
Creativity Centre (MaGIC), Cradle
Fund, Malaysia Venture Capital
Management Bhd, Malaysia Debt
Ventures Bhd and others,” he
added.
14 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
SUNBIZ
London stock market facing
blockbuster IPO year
oBrexit clarity and Covid vaccine rollouts
offer companies opportunities to raise funds
LONDON: London will enjoy a very
strong year for stock market
flotations, analysts say, arguing that
both Brexit and coronavirus offer
firms a unique opportunity to
expand.
Various big-name businesses that
have seen booming online demand
from home-bound customers during
Covid-19 lockdowns have revealed
eye-catching plans for initial public
offerings (IPOs) in recent weeks.
Clarity over Britain’s final
departure from the European Union
on Jan 1 acted as a catalyst for many
companies to raise funds, according
to specialists, while the rollout of
Covid-19 vaccines also soothed
investor concerns over the deadly
pandemic.
So far this year, the celebrated
shoemaker Dr Martens, app-driven
meals delivery service Deliveroo and
online greetings card seller Moonpig
have all outlined plans.
“Looking to the year ahead, we
can expect 2021 to be a very strong
year for the UK IPO market,’ said Scott
McCubbin at London-based
financial services giant EY.
“An uptick in IPO activity may well
intensify the competition for
investment, placing greater emphasis
on preparing early for IPO and raising
profile with investors.
Sumitomo to stop
investing in new
oil projects: Report
TOKYO: Japanese trading house
Sumitomo Corp will stop investing
in new oil development projects
as it shifts away from fossil fuels
businesses amid a global push to
cut greenhouse gas emissions, the
Nikkei business daily reported
yesterday.
The move comes as global
miners and Japanese trading
companies cut their exposure to
coal operations, including mining
and power generation to trim
harmful carbon dioxide emissions
and to slow climate change.
Major Japanese trading houses
have said they would stop
investing in new projects to
develop thermal coal mines or
build coal-fired power stations,
but this would be the first time
that a Japanese trading firm
decided not to invest in new oil
projects, the Nikkei said.
Sumitomo will no longer
participate auctions for new oil
projects, though it will continue its
existing oil projects including
those in North Sea, the paper said,
without citing sources.
In energy and natural
resources, Sumitomo will focus its
management resources on
renewable energy such as offshore
wind farms and base metals,
including copper and nickel used
in electric vehicles, the Nikkei
reported.
Sumitomo was not
immediately available for
comment. – Reuters
“Confidence continues to build
with the Brexit deal now giving clarity
around the future relationship with
Europe and the rollout of Covid-19
vaccinations.”
Added to the mix, online money
transfer specialist TransferWise has
reportedly appointed banks to
coordinate a planned float.
British media report that others
could include insurer Canopius,
EDF-owned electric vehicle charging
business Pod Point, and online
fashion retailer Very.
The IPO market has also attracted
interest in recent years due to the
easier availability of financing,
alongside ultra-low interest rates.
“Over the past few years we have
also seen a strengthening in the
financing available for UK and
European companies in the early
stages of their growth,” said Marcus
Stuttard, head of UK primary markets
at the London Stock Exchange.
“This means that there are now an
increasing number of dynamic
businesses at the stage and size of
development that are ideal for an IPO.
“These factors coming together
have contributed to the strong IPO
pipeline we are seeing at the start of
2021,” he told AFP.
At the same time, investors have
lots of cash, owing to low borrowing
Taiwan asking firms to help ease auto chip shortage
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s Ministry of
Economic Affairs said yesterday it
has received requests through
diplomatic channels to help ease a
shortage of chips for the auto sector
and that it has asked local tech firms
to provide “full assistance”.
Automakers around the world are
shutting assembly lines because of a
global shortage of semiconductors
that in some cases has been
exacerbated by the former Trump
administration’s actions against key
Chinese chip factories, according to
industry officials.
The shortage has affected Ford
FOMC opens two-day meeting tomorrow – its first in Biden presidency
WASHINGTON: With a new year
and a new administration in the
White House, the US central bank
nonetheless faces an unprecedented
challenge in guiding the post-
pandemic economic recovery.
One thing Federal Reserve chair
Jerome Powell is unlikely to face
from President Joe Biden is the
barrage of Twitter attacks he was
subject to, sometimes daily, under
former president Donald Trump.
White House spokeswoman Jen
Psaki last week said Biden “clearly has
a great deal of respect and value for the
Federal Reserve and role they play.”
But even absent political
pressures, the outlook is daunting.
The initial rollout of Covid-19
vaccines has raised hopes companies
will be able to open for business and
shoppers will open their wallets,
improving the economy’s prospects.
But the historic nature of the job
Entrance to the London Stock Exchange. London hopes to steal a march on rival IPO destinations such as Frankfurt, Hong
Kong and New York. – AFPPIX
costs and several billion pounds
worth of central bank stimulus funds.
London thus hopes to steal a
march on rival IPO destinations such
as Frankfurt, Hong Kong and New
York.
Britain ranked only behind China
and the United States in terms of the
total amount of cash raised on the
stock market last year, according to a
recent EY study.
The British capital represented
more than 40% of the total IPO
amounts raised in Europe.
Motor, Subaru, Toyota Motor,
Volkswagen, Nissan Motor, Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles and other
carmakers.
The government in Taiwan, home
to the world’s largest contract
chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), said
it has been contacted by foreign
governments about the problem.
“Since the end of last year,
diplomatic channels have indeed
received requests from relevant
countries due to the shortage of
automotive chips,” the Ministry of
Economic Affairs said, after media
losses during the pandemic – more
than 10 million US workers remain
unemployed – coupled with the
likelihood inflation in some sectors
could spike once the recovery takes
hold, will test the Federal Reserve’s
limited toolkit.
These challenges could be
discussed when the Fed’s policy-setting
Federal Open Market Committee
(FOMC) opens its first two-day policy
meeting of the year tomorrow.
After slashing the benchmark
lending rate to zero early in the
coronavirus crisis, and massively
increasing bond purchases to pump
cash into the economy, the FOMC
has signalled will not change policy
in the near future.
“I think they’ve set their course
pretty clearly,” Stephanie Aaronson,
a vice-president at the Brookings
Institution and former Fed research
economist, told AFP. “I would be
Brexit could deliver a further boost
because the government wants to
relax certain stock exchange
regulations as it seeks to attract more
big-name businesses to list.
The Brexit trade deal, which took
effect on Jan 1, did not encompass the
finance sector – but Britain and the
EU aim to seal a memorandum of
understanding about financial
services by March.
The City of London Corporation
revealed on Friday in a study that the
British capital still trails the United
reports that German Economy
Minister Peter Altmaier had written
to Taiwan’s government about the
problem.
The ministry said it had not yet
received the letter from Germany and
couldn’t comment on its contents.
The ministry said major
international automakers are not
direct customers of Taiwanese
semiconductor chip makers, but that
other automotive chip makers place
orders with Taiwan manufacturers
and sell them to car makers.
“The relevant supply and demand
situation is also closely related to the
surprised if that really changed
throughout the spring.”
Business shutdowns imposed to
contain the spread of the virus caused
immediate, massive job losses in
2020, and at the end of the year, four
million people had been unemployed
for six months or more, comprising
37% of total unemployment.
The expectation for more
government aid under the Biden
administration – which has proposed a
US$1.9 trillion (RM7.6 trillion) rescue
package – will give the central bankers
hope for a more solid rebound and
improved hiring, Aaronson said.
Still, so much about the pandemic-
induced recession has been historic,
and the recovery too will present
policymakers with scenarios they
have never encountered.
When the recovery does begin,
the Fed’s main nemesis – inflation –
is likely to flare up in areas that
States and Hong Kong in attracting
foreign company listings.
London now wants to compete
more effectively against European
rivals and EU officials are concerned it
could dump highly-prized standards.
Catherine McGuiness, policy
chair at the City of London
Corporation, said: “The competitive
strengths of London and the UK
should mean that we are well placed
to seize opportunities as we start a
new trading chapter outside the
European Union.” – AFP
plans of automotive chip factories to
reduce inventory during the off-
season,” the ministry said.
It said it had begun talks with
domestic chip suppliers in response
to requests from other countries and
“asked the chip manufacturers to
provide full assistance”.
TSMC, in a statement, said the
issue of chips shortages for auto
companies was very important to
them.
“It is our top priority, and TSMC is
working closely with our automotive
customers to resolve the capacity
support issues,” it said. – Reuters
bounce back first, like hotels,
restaurants and air travel.
The Fed last year announced a
new framework that gives officials
flexibility to address the situation.
The central bank pledged to allow
inflation to exceed its two percent
goal for a time to ensure the
unemployment rate drops from its
6.7% level at the end of 2020.
That is a radical shift from the
past, when central bankers would
raise rates early to head off inflation.
But Aaronson noted that Powell
will have to communicate clearly to
both Wall Street and small
businesses to calm concerns.
Overshooting on inflation
“shouldn’t induce a loss of
credibility, as long as they are able to
convince people say that it’s
transitory and that this is absolutely
part of what they’re aiming for,” she
said. – AFP
 15
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT
CELEB SPEAK

To play by hea
hearr t By the age of 17, Miller had
appeared in more than 30
TV commercials in Malaysia.
– PICTURE COURTESY OF
oMalaysia-born, Indonesia-based actor Miller VICKAR ADAM

Khan won his first major award as he continues

to define what makes a good actor
█ BY JASON LIM someone who plays by heart and

S
HORTLY after starring in a
Petronas TV commercial
directed by the late Yasmin
Ahmad for National Day in
2003, Yasmin saw an untapped
potential in Miller Khan that was yet
to be fully realised. Then at the age of
16, Miller made his acting debut in
Yasmin’s award-winning film Sepet in
2005, alongside Sharifah Amani, Ng
Choo Seong, Ida Nerina, Adibah
Noor and Harith Iskander.
The 33-year-old artiste said:
“Being an actor means the world to
me, it changed my life. It is not just
about being on screen, but to be able
to inspire many others and motivate
people to do good is to me, satisfying.”
The duality relationship between
the actor self and the character self
could be described as akin to one
looking to the distant horizon where
the sky and sea meet at dusk and the
two appear to blend, presenting the
viewer with an illusion of a portrayed
identity on screen.
He said: “A good actor is a free
actor with a strong identity, one who
is able to immerse himself and make
a good and memorable
impression with his
character for the
viewers in
front of the
TV. He is
pours his soul out entirely into a
character role.”
We can all agree that 2020 has not
been a smooth year, and while we
continue to remain sanguine about
the present and the near future,
Miller believes that tough times do
not last and better days are on the
way.
“I truly hope for the world to heal
soon, and for us as Asian artistes and
performers to rise even higher and
soar above the storm amid what we
are facing right now.
“For one, I am incredibly excited
and looking forward to this year as I
hope to get married.”
What part of the process in acting
brings you immense satisfaction?
There is a sense of contentment that I
relish whenever I dive into a new role
for a film. To be able to embrace and
absorb the character’s identity and
personality, and I guess it is the whole
idea of playing and being a fictional
character that is not me.
Each new role broadens my
horizon as an actor. Each role has its
own level of charm and
charisma that is very
different and I find
it very fun to
explore these
distinctive
personas and
how their You moved to Indonesia in 2007 to
storyline could grow as an actor. What does
also affect other Indonesia’s showbiz industry offer
characters that you do not find in Malaysia?
in the I remember receiving a casting call
film. for an instant noodle television
commercial in Jakarta back then.
Upon airing, the campaign, which
was huge, quickly became a hit,
and it wasn’t difficult finding
other opportunities after that.
I got sucked into the scene
and stayed ever since.
Honestly, showbiz in
Jakarta is a little more
intense but with
broader employment
opportunities and
the freedom to
explore your
character. I still
work in both
countries for
modelling and
acting gigs.

What are some of

the challenges you
have faced and are
still facing since you
started out?
Public speaking. I get
excessively nervous and
often feel lost no matter how
well-prepared I am. It is even
more devastating especially during
social occasions, press conferences
and large-scale events. Basically,
anything that has a massive
amount of people. I always get a
sudden surge of panic attack and
overwhelmed with anxiety.
You mentioned in a previous
Miller got his big interview that you are an introvert.
break in 2007, in Due to the nature of your career,
his second how do you get yourself
Indonesian film comfortable while braving various
Cintapuccino. acting terrain?
– PICTURE I still struggle with it sometimes,
COURTESY OF although I’ve come to manage it
WINSTON GOMEZ better now. One thing I’ve learned
over time is to create an anchor and
to hold onto a person so that I feel
Miller won his first award after 14 years in the showbiz industry for Best
Supporting Actor (The Bridge 2) at the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards.
comfortable being around other
people, or me creating a nice zen spot
while filming on set. I just need to feel
comfortable and I would be fine.
It is easy to lose oneself in the
spotlight of the showbiz industry,
how do you remain grounded in
this journey?
Don’t get distracted by the spotlight
or you might risk losing yourself in
the process. Fame and fortune is not
everything, even if you have attained
them, it is important to not judge and
look down on others. Always be
humble and help lift those around
you.
Congrats on winning the Best
Supporting Actor (The Bridge 2) at
the 2020 Asian Academy Creative
Awards. How do you feel about
that?
I am beyond grateful as this is my first
major win after 14 years in the
showbiz industry and I am so
honoured to represent both Malaysia
and Indonesia, and thankful for those
who have been with me on this
journey.
Hats off to the Asian Academy
Creative Awards for making it happen
during these difficult times.
What advice would you give to an
aspiring actor?
Act good and do good. Be in love with
what you do, and know that you’re
doing it for yourself and no one else.
And to grow as an actor, you have to
really believe in yourself in order to
move forward.
 16 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
FASHION
The Woman of Yee
Womenswear designer Tan Wan Yee channelled a
great deal of oriental grandeur that is impossible to
miss in her 2021 Lunar New Year collection,
including a lineup of feminine dresses with a
handbag to boot.
In the collection, Tan pays homage to Malaysian
cultures using batik prints in several of her designs,
while replacing the Chinese knotted frog buttons
with intricately designed ones shaped in tapioca
cookies (kuih bangkit) silhouette.
Elsewhere beyond the decorative and
expressive embellishments on traditional dresses,
she also emphasised on the values attached to
Chinese art and cultural symbolisms such as
flowers, animals and mythical creatures, bringing
forth allusions of longevity, wealth, power and
strength.

The oriental chic

oFive Lunar New Year collections by Malaysian fashion
designers to play dress-up during this festive season
█ BY JASON LIM

W
of hope and light at the end of the tunnel
E are going to be following a tumultuous 2020.
celebrating the Lunar Nonetheless, Malaysian designers
New Year very differently continue to uphold the festive spirit so that
N and much quieter than you can celebrate the
ETA we would prefer this year, while Lunar New Year and
S
FI yearning for the slightest glimmer dress up in style.
SYO
TE
OUR
EC Frisenguys
TUR This brainchild of young designer Edie Chung
C
PI presents the label’s first holiday capsule
collection for the 2021 Lunar New Year
ahead, which has turned out to be
quite the opposite from its usual
idiosyncrasies supercharged by
specific stories or feelings.
However, the festive collection
celebrates, or rather, subverts the
traditional Chinese fashion sensibilities by marrying
exquisite brocades with the polished and
sophisticated silhouettes of the cheongsam, but with
more rebellious and playful artistry.
Shimmering prints and motifs of ethereal
dragons, butterflies and bursts of floral
blooms adorn the voluminous dresses
with controlled flair, while lace and floral
encrusted knee-high socks are paired
alongside it to put a whimsical spin on
traditional dress sense.

Ecesis
The acclaimed designers Paul Wee
and Thomas Chin have come a long
way since the inception of their
womenswear label in 2001. To
celebrate Ecesis’ two dynamic
decades in the Malaysian fashion
scene, they have created a lavish
anniversary collection to ring in the
Lunar New Year.
The collection inspired by the
best of Ecesis’ 10-year archives were
revived in opulent details and at the
same time, the designers struck a
balance between Chinese
craftsmanship with Western charm
in a harmonious blend through
contemporary pattern-making with
ruffles, pleats and gathering.
The journey through 10 years of
myriad inspiration includes the
exploration of the old-school era,
precious silk fabrications, body-
hugging silhouettes with high-slits,
mandarin collar alternatives and
bold clashes of print embellishments
– all underpinned by the
quintessential Ecesis glamour.
byMeiChi
Fashion designer
Phoon Mei Chi, who
initially started her
namesake brand in 2009 as a
ready-to-wear label has now, after
12 successful years, expanded into
making bridalwear, bespoke and couture
pieces. Her latest Spring/Summer 2021 Yuleza
collection titled Anthesis: Onset of a Bright and auspicious colours run
Period of Blossoming conjugates with the high in Yuleza’s first-ever Lunar
festivity ahead. New Year capsule collection to
“Anthesis” describes the flowering rid us of bad vibes as we usher in
period of a plant, signifying hope and the Year of the Ox with grace
joy. and poise.
Phoon said: “In a time where change Creative director Tan You
is the only constant, it is a reflection of Sheng of the luxury
how it has brought us unexpected growth, womenswear label hold
and our ability to adapt and our tenacity to traditional cheongsams true to
go on.” their enduring appeal with
Here in the 13-piece collection, where understated elegance imbued with
form meets function and femininity meets contemporary aesthetics. He uses
modernity, tradition has been given a predominantly taffeta throughout
contemporary facelift, by way of asymmetric the whole collection, giving it the
mandarin collars, dramatic puffed-up voluminous allure that is best
sleeve, and diagonal cut onto the silhouette befitting of the extravagant fabric.
of the cheongsam to accentuate the From classic cheongsam to puff-
feminine form even more. sleeved blouses and multi-tiered
Luxurious satin and jacquard fabrics in dresses in bold and broad stripes for
Spring colourways mirrors fresh blooms, women, men are also in for a treat
while delicate lace embroideries with identical stripe patterns –
combined with flowy tulle gives an marking Yuleza’s first foray into
unexpected finish to the dresses. menswear.

Fear of possible exposure
oPandemic leads to
slump in heart disease
tests
P
ROCEDURES to diagnose
and treat heart disease fell by
almost two-thirds in spring
2020 compared to 2019, a
study suggested Friday, in the latest
sign of the coronavirus pandemic’s
effect on broader healthcare systems.
The survey from the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) found there was a 64%
reduction in cardiology diagnostic
procedures in March-April 2020
compared with the same period in
the previous year, with “abrupt and
significant” impact on services
evident across all regions.
Around 718,000 cardiac diagnostic
procedures were not performed in
the centres surveyed in those two
months due to the effects of the first
wave of the pandemic, the authors
say.
The survey looked at data on
several procedures to evaluate heart
health such as echocardiograms,
angiographies and exercise stress
tests.
The IAEA says the slump in the
number of procedures was “mostly
due to avoidance of tests by patients
out of fear of possible exposure to
Covid-19 in a hospital setting, fewer
appointment slots due to extended
disinfection measures between
patients, and avoidance of tests that
involve aerosolisation to minimise
personnel exposure risks”.
It added that shortages of personal
protective equipment (PPE) for
medical staff were also reported in
22% of centres, adding to the difficulty
of carrying out procedures.
Time to boost your immune system
WE may not all be equal when it
comes to vaccination, it seems. A
team of researchers in the US reports
that Covid-19 vaccines could be less
effective in those suffering the most
from stress, and whose immune
systems may be weakened. The
researchers suggest targeting these
individuals with interventions to help
improve their immune response to
the vaccine.
Previous studies, spanning several
decades, have documented how
stress, depression and poor health
behaviors can weaken the body’s
immune response to certain
vaccines. This could potentially
include the new vaccines developed
in response to the covid-19
pandemic, the first doses of which are
now being administered to people in
many countries worldwide.
However, we may not all get the
same benefits from this vaccination,
according to a report published in
Perspectives on Psychological
Science. Its authors explain that
certain environmental factors, as well
as the physical and mental health of
an individual, could weaken the
immune system and slow its
response to the vaccine. The
observation is particularly significant
at a time when people around the
world are experiencing trying times
with successive lockdowns,
restrictions and the many
uncertainties brought about by the
pandemic.
“In addition to the physical toll of
Covid-19, the pandemic has an
equally troubling mental health
component, causing anxiety and
depression, among many other
The study is based on responses
from over 900 institutions in 108
countries.
It showed that the procedures
most impacted included lengthier
ones and those where the risk of
exposure to coronavirus infections
could increase.
Exercise stress tests, for example,
Stress is considered to be one of the factors
that can alter the body’s ability to develop
an immune response to vaccines.
related problems. Emotional
stressors like these can affect a
person’s immune system, impairing
their ability to ward off infections,”
said Annelise Madison, a researcher
at The Ohio State University and lead
author on the paper.
Short-term solutions can be
effective
However, the researchers have good
news too, reiterating that the
currently available Covid-19 vaccines
are around 95% effective, and that
these psychological and behavioural
factors – which could increase the
time it takes to develop immunity
and shorten the duration of
where droplets of sweat and saliva are
likely to be released in the air, were
the most disrupted, dropping by 78%.
In the four low-income countries,
included the survey, the fall in
procedures was even steeper, at 81%.
Heart disease has been the world’s
leading cause of death for the last 20
years.
immunity – are modifiable in the
short term.
According to the scientists, certain
simple steps, like taking vigorous
exercise and getting a good night’s
sleep in the 24 hours before
vaccination, could help boost the
immune system.
“Prior research suggests that
psychological and behavioural
interventions can improve vaccine
responsiveness. Even shorter-term
interventions can be effective,”
concludes Annelise Madison.
“Therefore, now is the time to identify
those at risk for a poor immune
response and intervene on these risk
factors.” – AFP-Relaxnews
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 202117
In December the World Health
Organisation said that it was “killing
more people than ever before”, with
nine million fatalities in 2019 – up by
two million since 2000.
“We don’t want people with heart
diseases to miss out on timely
diagnosis and treatment or to
develop serious life-threatening
How menopause affects the brain
A new study suggests that the
different stages of menopause can
affect cognitive performance up to
the postmenopausal period,
particularly in women with HIV
and in precarious economic
circumstances.
Published in the journal
Menopause, the results of this
study suggest that cognitive
declines may begin as early as the
perimenopause phase (the onset
of menstrual irregularity) and
continue into the postmenopause
period, that is, after menstruation
has stopped for good. This
cognitive dysfunction would thus
occur independently of other
known menopausal symptoms
such as depression, anxiety and
hot flashes, reports AFP-Relaxnews.
Several previous research
studies have been conducted
specifically on memory loss
associated with menopause. But,
ZEST
Procedures to diagnose and treat
heart disease fell by almost two-
thirds in spring 2020 compared to
2019, a study suggested Friday.
complications that could have been
avoided,” said co-author of the study
Dr Michelle Williams from the
University of Edinburgh.
Last year, the IAEA also warned
about the adverse impact of the
pandemic on nuclear medicine
services for cancer care. – AFP-
Relaxnews
note the authors of the work, many
of them describe these cognitive
changes during perimenopause,
which suggests that these cognitive
problems could be resolved in the
post-menopause period.
However, this new study of
more than 440 low-income
women, some of whom are HIV-
positive, shows that difficulties in
remembering everyday things or
learning disabilities persist even
after menopause.
This prolonged duration of
cognitive decline could be
explained by the socio-economic
situation of the participants, and
their state of health. Indeed, the
medical literature confirms that
factors such as HIV, a precarious
economic situation, a low level of
education, addictions, high levels
of stress or limited access to quality
health care can promote the risk of
cognitive dysfunction.
18 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
ZEST
T
HE more fried chicken,
fish, and potatoes you
eat, the more likely you
are to develop serious
heart disease in the long term.
That’s according to a new
scientific investigation, based on
a meta-analysis of nearly 20
studies showing that fried foods
are associated with an increased
risk of heart disease and stroke.
It’s often believed that certain
foods, even though they are
considered harmful to health, are
safe when eaten in moderation.
But a new study warns of the
harmful effects of fried foods on
the heart and arteries, even in
small portions. However, the
study does have some limitations,
as the researchers themselves
point out. For example, the
mechanism behind the impact of
these foods on the development
of cardiovascular disease is not
entirely clear, though there are
some hypotheses.
Scientists trawled through
several research databases to
gather relevant studies on the
subject up to April 2020. They
then gathered data from 17
studies, involving a total of
562,445 participants and 36,727
major cardiovascular events such
as heart attack or stroke, as well as
data from six studies, involving
754,873 participants and 85,906
deaths over an average
surveillance period of 9.5 years, to
assess the potential link between
eating fried foods and deaths
from cardiovascular disease or
other causes.
Published in the journal Heart,
Students eating less during pandemic
STUDENTS, who are not
necessarily known for having a
healthy routine at the best of
times, may be particularly
affected by the measures taken to
curb the global pandemic. Not
only have lockdowns aggravated
their sedentary lifestyle and
alcohol consumption, but it also
likely had an impact on their
eating habits, reveals a study
conducted by Canadian
researchers.
Scientists at the University of
Saskatchewan in Canada have
been studying the impact of
Covid-19, and more specifically
lockdown measures designed to
reduce its propagation, on
students’ health practices. The
four-month study involved 125
students at the Universities of
Saskatchewan and Regina who
were considered vulnerable
because they lived alone, with a
roommate, or with a partner, and
were responsible for buying and
preparing their own meals. They
were subjected to an online
questionnaire, administered at
the time of the introduction of
Students are more
sedentary, eating
less healthily, and
consuming more
alcohol since the
beginning of the
pandemic.
Watch what you eat
oConsuming fried food, even in moderation, is harmful to our hearts
their analysis showed a 28% increased
risk of major cardiovascular events
among those who ate the most fried
restrictions to limit the spread of
the virus, on their food
consumption and physical
activity before and during the
pandemic.
“With pre-pandemic research
already showing university
students to be a vulnerable group
for inadequate diet and physical
activity, the measures imposed to
curb the Covid pandemic
presented a unique opportunity
to examine further impact on
their lives,” explains Gordon
Zello, nutrition professor and
lead author of the study.
Published in the journal
Applied Physiology, Nutrition,
and Metabolism, this work
initially revealed that students
were eating less on a daily basis
during the pandemic. In fact, they
consumed 20% less meat, 44%
less dairy products, and up to 45%
less vegetables. While lockdown
meant that they also drank less
tea and coffee, their alcohol
consumption increased in
particular.
Students are less active
The lack of physical activity has
also been felt since the beginning
of the global crisis. The study
shows that
16% of
foods per week compared to those
who ate the least. The risk increased by
22% for coronary heart disease and
participants were previously
meeting Canadian health
guidelines for at least 150 minutes
of moderate to vigorous physical
activity per week, a figure that
dropped to 9.6% during the
pandemic. And unsurprisingly
the sedentary habits of study
participants soared.
Researchers attribute these
behavioural changes to the
psychological distress associated
with the global pandemic, the
limited opening hours of food
stores and restaurants, and the
closure of gyms and other
recreational facilities. The simple
fact of switching to doing distance
learning for one’s courses was
also detrimental, as students no
longer even walked to university.
“Our findings are important
because university students,
especially those most vulnerable
for poor nutrition and sedentary
behavior, should be targeted for
interventions aimed at
maintaining and improving
physical activity and dietary
practices during this pandemic
and beyond,” noted Zello.
Something that should not be
overlooked in order to limit the
fallout of such an event on their
health in the long term. – AFP-
Relaxnews
Fried foods may
increase the risk of
developing serious
heart disease.
37% for heart failure. The researchers
also found that each additional weekly
serving of 114 grams of fried food
Immune system ‘remembers’
coronavirus for at least 6 months
PEOPLE may be able to fight off
reinfection for at least six months
after they recover from Covid-19
thanks to cells that can “remember”
the virus, according to research
published Monday.
Researchers in the United States
and Switzerland studied dozens of
people who had recovered from
Covid-19 and found that while their
antibodies may fade over time, they
maintained levels of specific memory
B cells.
These cells can remember the
pathogen and can, if faced with
reinfection, prompt the immune
system to reinitiate the production of
virus-fighting antibodies.
“Memory responses are
responsible for protection from
reinfection and are essential for
effective vaccination,“ concluded the
study published in the journal Nature.
“The observation that memory B
cell responses do not decay after 6.2
months, but instead continue to
evolve, is strongly suggestive that
individuals who are infected with
SARS-CoV-2 could mount a rapid and
effective response to the virus upon
re-exposure.”
The authors
assessed 87 people
with a confirmed
Covid-19
diagnosis at a
little over one
month and six
months after
infection.
While they
found that virus
neutralising antibody
activity decreased with
time, the number of memory B cells
remained unchanged.
Researchers said their study
indicated that the memory B cell
response against the coronavirus
evolves during the six months after
infection in the presence of viral
remnant proteins in the body –
enabling the cells to produce more
increased the risk of major
cardiovascular events by 3%, the
risk of coronary heart disease by
2%, and the risk of heart failure by
12%.
No definitive proof
The researchers note, however,
that no association has been
established between deaths,
whether from cardiovascular
disease or other causes, and the
consumption of fried foods. They
also caution that the studies
included in this meta-analysis
were all based on memory, which
was one of the limitations of the
investigation.
But that wasn’t the only one, as
researchers are not yet able to
scientifically demonstrate how
fried foods actually influence the
development of cardiovascular
disease. They are suggesting
some leads, however, such as the
fact that these foods generate
harmful trans fatty acids,
stimulate the production of
chemical byproducts involved in
the body’s inflammatory
response, and are generally high
in added salt – three things that
could explain their impact on the
heart.
As a result of this study, several
UK-based scientists agreed that
these findings were consistent
with health guidelines
encouraging individuals to
reduce their consumption of such
foods, but could not constitute
“definitive evidence” as to their
impact on cardiovascular health.
Therefore, caution should be
exercised. – AFP-Relaxnews
potent antibodies.
How long people can fight off
reinfection to the new coronavirus
and what immune process is involved
are key to predicting the dynamics of
the pandemic.
Previous research has caused
concern by showing that neutralising
antibodies can decline quickly after
infection with SARS-CoV-2.
But more recent studies have
highlighted the role of other parts of
the immune system in longer-term
immunity.
One paper published in the
journal Science this month suggested
that nearly all major parts of the
immune system that can learn to
recognise and repel a new pathogen
could continue to respond to the
virus for at least eight months.
This included protein spike
specific memory B cells, which the
researchers found actually increased
in the blood six months after
infection.
The paper was based on analyses
of blood samples from 188 Covid-19
patients. – AFP-Relaxnews
How long people can fight off
reinfection to the new coronavirus
and what immune process is
involved are key to predicting the
dynamics of the pandemic.

No smoking, please
oChoked-up Milan takes smoking ban outside
“I
T’S about time they
passed this law. We’re fed
up with this smoke!”
declared Massimo
Gabbiadini, a shopkeeper in Piazza
del Duomo, after Milan banned
smoking in many outdoor places.
“But I will wait and see if the rules
are enforced. In the north of Europe
people respect the law, but in Italy?”
the 54-year-old told AFP.
Italy’s financial and fashion capital
on Tuesday became the first city in
the country to ban smoking in many
open-air public places such as parks,
stadiums, bus stops and even
cemeteries.
There are exemptions for lighting
up in isolated spots, at a distance of 10
metres (30 feet) or more from other
smokers – as well as for electronic
cigarettes.
The usual throngs of tourists
outside Milan’s cathedral were absent
on Tuesday because of coronavirus
restrictions, which saw the city placed
back in partial lockdown at the
weekend.
Among those walking past the
police officers standing guard, many
with cigarettes between their lips
seemed unaware of the change in the
law.
“There’s no sign saying you can’t
smoke in certain places,” complained
Floris Dethmers, an 18-year-old
model in Milan for the men’s fashion
week shows.
“I understand that it’s banned
Nendo and
Molten have
developed a
real soccer
ball in kit
form, to be
assembled
by the users
and which is
designed to
not deflate.
This soccer ball will not deflate
JAPANESE design studio
Nendo has developed an
incredible soccer ball in
association with equipment
manufacturer Molten.
Composed of pieces of plastic
and synthetic resin to be
assembled, without an inner
tube, it retains the
characteristics of a traditional
ball without ever deflating.
This concept is inspired by
traditional Japanese woven
bamboo balls. Its assembly
requires 54 flexible parts made
of recycled polypropylene and
elastomeric synthetic resin.
Once assembled, instead of
relying on internal air pressure,
this ball uses the resilience of its
material on the surface. The end
result is that the ball has the
same striking and bouncing feel
as a traditional model.
Moreover, it is particularly
inside. But outside, I want the
freedom to smoke.”
But the measure has been largely
welcomed in Milan, including by
smokers such as Maria Luigia di
Toma, an unemployed receptionist.
“I think it’s fair, because smoking
is really annoying for people around
you,” the 63-year-old said.
Italy was a pioneer in Europe in
banning smoking in closed public
spaces, notably bars and restaurants,
in 2005 – and such prohibitions are
now widespread.
But Milan has taken it one step
further as part of a wider battle
against pollution.
The new ban aims to “reduce
PM10 fine particles, which are
harmful to the lungs, and protect the
health of citizens against active and
passive smoking in public places,”
according to the local council.
Situated in the middle of the
industrial Po Valley and choked with
road traffic, Milan regularly breaks air
quality records – and 8% of the PM10
particles in the city are due to
smoking.
Fines for breaking the new law
range from 40 to 240 euros (RM192 to
RM1,160), although they will be only
gradually introduced.
By Jan 1, 2025, however, Milan will
have a total ban on smoking in the
open air.
Authorities here are heartened by
the relative ease with which the
national ban on indoor smoking was
resistant to shocks without ever
losing pressure.
Note that to save space, the
balloon can be shipped
disassembled. It is of course
perfectly customisable in terms
of colours and thus can easily
be created in the colours of a
club or a particular event.
Moreover, even if a component
comes off during a match, it will
not disassemble its overall
structure. The innovative ball
has an almost infinite lifespan
and requires no maintenance.
For the moment, this balloon
is still in the project phase, but
it could go to retail relatively
soon. The idea is to be able to
have it used all over the world,
especially in relatively poor
areas, so that players don’t
need a pump nearby or have to
change it with the slightest
puncture. – AFP -Relaxnews
imposed – and its impact.
Since 2005, the number of
smokers aged 15 and over in Italy has
fallen by one million to 11.6 million,
according to a study by the ISS health
agency.
Butterflies create a burst of jet propulsion
THE whimsical, wafting flight
of butterflies may not give
the impression of top
aerodynamic performance, but
research published on Wednesday
suggests their large flexible wings
could be perfectly designed to give
them a burst of jet propulsion.
Scientists at Lund University in
Sweden set out to verify a decades-old
theory that insects “clap” their wings
together, squeezing out the air
between with such force that it thrusts
them forward.
In their aerodynamic analysis of
free-flying butterflies published in the
journal Interface, they showed that
the clap function does generate a jet of
air propulsion.
But they also found that the
butterflies perform this move “in a far
more advanced way than we ever
realised”, said co-author Per
Henningsson, a professor in the
department of biology at Lund
University.
At the moment the wings beat
together they “were not just two flat
surfaces slamming together”, he told
AFP.
Instead, they form a “pocket”
shape believed to trap more air.
When the researchers
recreated this using mechanical
wings, they found that those with
butterfly-like flexibility that form this
pocket at the moment of impact
were 22% more effective in the
amount of force created and
28% more efficient in the amount of
energy used compared with rigid
wings.
The team suggested that their
findings could have uses for drones
that use clapping wing propulsion.
Predator evasion
Henningsson said the “dramatic
improvement” in performance came
19
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
* FEATURE
Milan became
the first city in
Italy to ban
smoking in many
open-air public
places such as
parks, stadiums,
bus stops and
even cemeteries.
Leaning against a statue in Piazza warming,” said the 21-year-old, who
del Duomo, Laura Beraldo says she is works for an NGO.
not ready to give up her 20-a-day “And for now, there are no
habit. restrictions on the freedom to smoke,
“I don’t blame cigarettes for the as long as I respect the 10-metre rule,”
smog, but the traffic and global she said, smiling. – AFP-Relaxnews
Scientists believe
butterflies might
use the ‘clap’ to
help boost flight at
takeoff when they
are vulnerable to
predators.
as a surprise. to take off faster and avoid being
“This is the type of finding that is captured better, and hence you can
the most exciting for a scientist –the imagine a strong selective pressure on
ones you didn’t really expect,” he said. this feature.”
Butterfly wings “although
conventionally considered Natural flight
aerodynamically inefficient” might be The study suggested other creatures –
particularly good at forming this like fish or frogs – may also have
pocket shape, he added, suggesting developed clapping propulsion using
they may have evolved enhance clap cupped wings, fins or feet.
propulsion as a way to evade Henningsson said while the theory
predators that might spot them as of the wing clap has been
they take off. around since the 1970s, studies on
“To minimise the risk of capture, butterfly flight had often relied on
butterflies typically take off very fast tethered butterflies or used
and suddenly and many of them fly in simulations.
an erratic and unpredictable manner,” But improvements in technology
he said. to measure flow meant the
“If indeed the clap is improved authors were able to observe the
dramatically by the cupped shape of creatures in natural flight. – AFP-
the wings this would allow a butterfly Relaxnews
20 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
FEATURE

█ BY AZIZUL RAHMAN ISMAIL

H
E grew up during the
golden age of Malaysian
comics and cartoons, and
like any kid at the time, he
was no stranger to national humour
magazine Gila-Gila.
Fascinated by the local legends in
the industry, Nik Mohammad Wafdi
Nik Jaafar knew what he wanted to do
at an early age.
“I started drawing cartoons after I
left school. My inspiration came from
comic books and cartoon animations
on TV. I’ve always been amazed by
the colourful world of cartoons from a
young age, and I still feel young when
it comes to cartoons,” recalls Nik
Wafdi.
He studied architecture for four
years and worked as an architect for a
year. But he wanted to make people
laugh with his art, not draw buildings. Nik Wafdi’s own iconic dynamic duo,
In 1997, Nik Wafdi joined MOY Ali & Davidson. – PICTURE COURTESY
Publications Sdn Bhd, and within a OF NIK WAFDI
span of 13 years, he became a creative
director, cartoonist and illustrator at
Ujang magazine under the name Nik
Wafdi.
“It means a lot to me, and for those
who appreciate a good laugh, to ease
the burden of everyday life. At least, I
can help people look at the funny side
of things.
“Even sadness can turn to smiles.
Lately, I have found it vital to convey Nik Wafdi, his wife Surina Chin, and his three iconic characters Tandoori, Ali & Davidson. – PICTURE COURTESY OF NIK
good vibes through this medium, and WAFDI
I believe cartoons can change lives for

the better,” adds Nik Wafdi.
One of his most iconic creations is
Murahguru Tandoori Payat, a name
derived from puns, spoofs, goofs,
Malaysian’s love for food and martial
arts. The idea came from a friendly
face that every Malaysian recognises.
“Where do all Malaysians of all
races and cultural backgrounds
gather every day first thing in the
morning? Mamak stall.
“He is the first face we see, apart
from our family. He is welcoming no
matter who we are. He serves and is
maybe the first smiling face to greet
us every morning.”
Through the years, Nik Wafdi’s art
and subject matter has evolved and
his list of characters has grown.
A silly scene of kids excited at a Quran class. – PICTURE COURTESY OF NIK
WAFDI
A page at a time
oOne of the most talented and experienced cartoonists in Malaysia, Nik
Wafdi, shares his experience
Perhaps some may remember his
dynamic duo, Ali & Davidson.
“I still change my style once in a
while to keep myself entertained. But
people still recognise my pen strokes,
like it is embedded in DNA,” quips
Nik Wafdi.
As someone who thrived in print
media, Nik Wafdi finds it hard to see
what is in store for the future of
Malaysian comics and the cartoon
industry.
He works alone, drawing and
colouring his art directly into his PC.
By necessity, the digital platform has
become his medium of choice.
While focusing on what he loves
to do and embracing digital
platforms, he believes in the abilities
of new talents in the industry.
There is an abundance of them,
but few have the staying power of
legends such as Datuk Lat.
“For me, and for those drawing
cartoons, as long as there is a way to
make a living out of this funny but
sad industry, we will always be
around doing what we can, one day
at a time,” he laments.
Despite his pessimistic view of
the local cartoon industry, he still
resorts to humour in his cartoons.
As he puts it, even serious
situations can be resolved with
An illustration of a lesson in the Quran
about envy by Nik Wafdi. – PICTURE
COURTESY OF NIK WAFDI
understanding. The presenter, Ustaz
Fazrul, will elaborate according to the
lesson in the series.”
Nik Wafdi hopes to complete his
work and finish drawing all lessons of
the 30 juz (chapters) of the Quran.
humour. It is not an easy task, which
“It’s a remedy for our serious life requires skilled research, knowledge
but it must be taken in the right of culture and years of experience.
amount and with precise Because of the show’s scheduling, he
prescription, or it could be fatal.” cannot depend on notes from
Currently, Nik Wafdi is involved in scholars and the research team alone.
creating cartoons on hadiths of “I’ve got to do my own research
Prophet Muhammad, and and produce the finished works
illustrations based on lessons in the before airtime since most of it is
Quran for daily TV show, My recorded live. No back and forth, just
#QuranTime. keep pushing forward every day
In the show, scholars talk about “Just like all professional
the holy book. cartoonists local and international,
“There is a slot at the end where my routine in searching for good and
points and lessons of the day are meaningful ideas includes staring at a
illustrated in cartoon form, for a blank sheet of paper patiently for
simple and light-hearted hours,” Nik Wafdi jests.

2021 new year

cartoon. –
PICTURE
COURTESY OF NIK
WAFDI

Nik Wafdi uses

pop culture
references and
characters to get
his message
across. – PICTURE
COURTESY OF NIK
WAFDI

EXPERIENCED batsman Faf du Plessis
says South Africa must master the
unfamiliar conditions and home
captain Babar Azam when they play
their first Test in Pakistan since 2007 in
the opening match of a two-game
series that starts in Karachi tomorrow.
South Africa return to Pakistan for
the first time since a militant attack on
the Sri Lanka team bus in the city of
Lahore in 2009 that killed six
policemen and two civilians.
Root the rock as
England frustrate
Sri Lanka
JOE ROOT became the first
England batsman to score over 150
in consecutive Tests in 16 years as
he tormented Sri Lanka and led his
side to 339 for nine in their first
innings at the close of play on day
three of the second and final Test in
Galle.
However, the tired and
cramping England captain was
dismissed in the final over of the
day for 186, run out after clipping
the ball to short leg Oshada
Fernando.
Root’s weariness did not allow
him to get back into his crease
having pushed forward after
playing the stroke.
England still trail by 42 runs and
will seek to wipe out the deficit
with Jack Leach and Stuart Broad at
the crease on the fourth morning,
although Sri Lanka spinner Lasith
Embuldeniya has been excellent
with career best figures of 7-132.
The tourists resumed the day on
98 for two having lost their openers
cheaply for the third time in as
many innings in this series. Jonny
Bairstow (28) and Dan Lawrence (3)
both fell to Embuldeniya’s spin.
At 132 for four, England were
teetering, but Root and Jos Buttler
(55) steadied the ship with a fifth-
wicket stand of 97 before the latter
was caught at short leg, providing a
first Test wicket for debutant
spinner Ramesh Mendis.
Sam Curran (13) was out in the
final over of the afternoon session,
caught at slip, before Dom Bess (32)
put on a vital 81 with Root for the
seventh wicket. – Reuters
322 Notices
IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES
ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF
GUANG YI TRADING SDN. BHD.
(Co Reg No. 898904-D)
(In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation)
At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the
Company held at B-5-4, Block B, Megan
Avenue 1, 189, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400
Kuala Lumpur on 02nd December 2020
the following special resolution was duly
passed:
“That the Company be wound-up
voluntarily and that Lee Chee Hong (NRIC
No: 680222-10-6487) and Yap You Mun
(NRIC No: 671203-10-5767) of Falcon
Management Services Sdn. Bhd. be and
are hereby appointed the liquidators of
the company for the purpose of such
winding-up.”
By order of the Board
Sam Kok Fue
Director
Dated this 25 January 2021
IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES
ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF
GUANG YI TRADING SDN. BHD.
(Co Reg No. 898904-D)
(In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the
creditors of the abovementioned company
which is wound up voluntarily are required
on or before 24th February 2021 to
send in their names and addresses with
particulars of their debts and claims, and
names and addresses of their solicitors
(if any) to the undersigned Liquidators of
GUANG YI TRADING SDN BHD (In Members’
Voluntary Liquidation) c/o Falcon
Management Services Sdn Bhd, B-5-4,
Block B, Megan Avenue 1, 189, Jalan Tun
Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur and, if so
required by notice in writing from the said
liquidators, or by its solicitors, to come in
and prove their said debts and claims at
such time and place as shall be specified
in such notice, or in default thereof they
will be excluded from the benefit of any
distribution made before such debts and
claims are proved.
Lee Chee Hong
Yap You Mun
Liquidators
Dated this 25 January 2021
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021 21
SPORTS
South Africa enter the unknown in Karachi
Both sides have a fresh look about very tough ask, they are a very South Africa admit uncertainty over some plans to either get ones or have
them, the tourists introduced a dangerous team in their home what to expect from the conditions. scoring options to get some
number of new players for their 2-0 conditions.” Pakistan has traditionally been more boundaries.”
home series win over Sri Lanka this Pakistan will have Babar back after seamer friendly than other sub- Babar has urged his side to take a
month, while Pakistan named nine he missed recent Tests in New Zealand continent countries, but early positive approach and dictate the flow
uncapped players in their squad. with a fractured thumb. indications are that might not be the of the match.
“I think both South Africa and “Having Babar is massive for them. case this time around. “I want the team to play positive,
Pakistan are probably similarly placed He is up there with the top three “It’s about making sure you are aggressive and fearless cricket,” he said.
where they are in terms of the teams,” batters in the world. His last two looking at two or three ways of getting “We need to be good enough against
Du Plessis told reporters. “Quite a lot of seasons, in all formats, have been off strike,” Du Plessis said when top-quality sides if we want ourselves
inexperience and not a lot of Test caps. nothing short of remarkable,” Du discussing a trial by spin. to be considered a top team and for
“We are expecting it to be a very, Plessis said. “You need to make sure you’ve got that, we need to win series.” – Reuters
McGregor knocked out
Poirier TKO’s Irishman in stunning UFC upset for a repeat of the pair’s first contest in
2014 which he won by TKO after just
I’m happy with the face I see in the
mirror.
A
109 seconds. “The goal was to be technical and
MERICAN underdog year-old Poirier was ranked second in But Poirier, who now has a UFC to pick my shots, not brawl at all. I
Dustin Poirier shook up the the flyweight division going into the record of 27-6, used low calf kicks in had him hurt and I went a little
world of mixed martial arts fight, but still rated a heavy underdog an effort to put McGregor (22-5) off crazy.”
yesterday, beating up the by bookmakers to beat his fourth- his usual ferocious stand-up game – McGregor likes to call himself
legs of Irish superstar Conor ranked opponent, arguably and it worked. “Mystic Mac” and had spent the
McGregor before knocking him out at the most famous fighter “First off I want to say week leading into the fight predicting
UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi. the sport has seen. Conor took this result he would end it inside 60 seconds.
“I’m happy but I’m not surprised. T h e professionally. We’re 1-1 But it was a different Poirier to the
I put in the work,” Poirier after the controversial and maybe we’re going one who had looked overmatched
referee stepped in after 2min 32sec of Mc G re g o r, to have to do it again,” when the pair previously met at UFC
the second round to save McGregor known as “Notorious”, said Poirier, hinting at 178 at the lighter featherweight.
from further damage after he was was returning to the prospect of a trilogy Poirier then found his range in the
dropped by a fierce the octagon for fight. second round, weakening
combination of the first time in a “ I ’ m McGregor’s base with calf kicks
punches. year and hoping happy before exploding for the shock finish.
The 32- with the He staggered McGregor with a big
place I overhand left and then dropped him
a m to the canvas with a straight right
in. flush on the Irishman’s nose before
referee Herb Dean waved it off.
“The low calf kick was very good
but Dustin is some fighter,” said
McGregor.
“I’ll dust it off and come back
because that’s what I’ll do. I’ll take my
licks.
Conor McGregor “I’m gutted, it’s a tough one to
swallow. I just want to go back to the
(left) punches hotel and chill with my kids and
Dustin Poirier in a regroup.”
lightweight fight The second-ranked Poirier is now
during the UFC in prime position to either inherit or
257 event inside fight for the UFC’s lightweight belt,
Etihad Arena on most recently held by the now-
UFC Fight Island retired unbeaten Russian Khabib
in Abu Dhabi Nurmagomedov.
yesterday. – USA “I felt like this was the title fight.
TODAY Sports If Khabib’s not coming back then
I’m the champion,” said Poirier. –
AFP
SHORTS Trio in desert storm supporters,” said Wasim.
“I would say that it's a monumental moment that
Kang leads despite Korda's 60 MAX HOMA fired a 7-under765 to join a three-way tie for South Africa is here after 14 years and everybody is
the lead heading into the final round of the US PGA looking forward to the matches.”
DANIELLE KANG (pix) continued her torrid play with an American Express tournament in California yesterday. England have also agreed to play two Twenty20s in
8-under 63 yesterday to hold a two-shot lead over fellow Homa, chasing the second PGA Tour win of his career October on their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, to be
American Jessica Korda after three rounds of the after victory at the Wells Fargo in 2019, carded nine followed by New Zealand and the West Indies for white-
Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake birdies to finish the day on 15-under alongside Tony ball series.
Buena Vista, Fla. Finau and South Korea’s Kim Si-woo. If all go untroubled, then Australia will arrive for Tests
Kang stands at 21-under 192 and has The 30-year-old Homa might have finished in and one-day matches next year, having not toured
played bogey-free golf through three sole possession of the lead had it not been for a Pakistan since 1998.
rounds at the Four Seasons Golf and double-bogey six on the par-four seventh on “We have an exciting year ahead of us as our efforts
Sports Club. the PGA West Stadium Course at La Quinta, are bearing fruit,” said Wasim, a former England county
Kang matched her career-best in the California desert near Palm Springs. player and ex-chief executive of Leicestershire.
score but only holds a two-stroke Korea’s Kim meanwhile joined the
lead due to Korda shooting a leaders with a bogey-free 5-under 67. Nasser questions move to rest Bairstow
blistering 11-under 60. World No. 22 Finau was also left
Korda was sensational on the ruing a costly double-bogey before FORMER captain Nasser Hussain has questioned
back nine with an eagle on the staging a late recovery to claim a share England’s decision to rest Jonny Bairstow for the first two
par-5, 17th hole and seven of the lead. Tests against India next month, saying the batsman’s spin
birdies. She had nine birdies proficiency was particularly needed at the start of the
‘Monumental moment’
overall. “iconic series”.
“It was awesome,” Korda, 27, As part of England's policy of resting multi-format
said. “Just on the back nine I don’t for Pakistan players, Bairstow, along with Sam Curran and Mark Wood,
know what happened. I just turned SOUTH AFRICA will play their first Test in will be cooling their heels after the ongoing Test series in
it up. I had a lot of great looks and Pakistan for 14 years tomorrow, a match Sri Lanka.
we were just really relaxed all day.” being described as a “monumental moment” “I would say it's a concern that one of England’s best
“Days like today don’t come often, for the revival of international cricket in the three players of spin – I would say Bairstow is alongside
so you really cherish them when they do,” country. Joe Root and Ben Stokes in that – has been given a
said Korda. Foreign teams refused to tour the terror-hit boarding pass home and the others are going to
Korda’s stellar round was the only thing preventing country on security fears and it was only in the last six Chennai,” Hussain told Sky Sports Cricket.
Kang from opening up a large lead as she pursues her years that Pakistan hosted limited-over series before Test “Should you be resting or rotating for India or do you
sixth career victory. cricket was revived for the first time in a decade with the turn up to the first Test of that India series, an iconic
Jessica enters the final round paired with Kang and visit of Sri Lanka in December 2019. series, and pick your best side?
younger sister Nelly. A tight security cordon has been thrown around the “England fans switching on when it is turning and
Nelly Korda is six shots behind Kang after carding a 67 venue and Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim England are 20-2 may well have the argument, ‘I want to
while South Korea’s In Gee Chun also carded a 67 and is Khan said South Africa's visit was significant. see our best batsman against spin, or one of them, in
alone in fourth place at 13-under 200. “These are very exciting times for fans and Bairstow’.”
22 theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021
SPORTS

E Real relief
DEN HAZARD scored one goal and set
up another as Real Madrid thrashed
Alaves 4-1 yesterday to ease the
pressure on their coach Zinedine
Zidane, who was absent after testing positive for
Covid-19.
Zidane’s position has come under scrutiny
again after Wednesday’s defeat by third-tier side
Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey but Madrid
responded at Mendizorroza without their
coach, or their captain Sergio Ramos, who was
out with a knee injury.
Goals from Casemiro, Karim Benzema and
Hazard put Madrid three up at half-time and
while Alaves briefly threatened a fightback
when Joselu headed in, Benzema added a
second to put the result beyond doubt.
The victory is only Real Madrid’s second in
six matches and leaves them four points behind
Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand.
“The goals are good for the confidence, for
everyone,” said Benzema. “It’s been a tough
week for us because we always have to win,
5229/2021
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9657 7771 5334 8670
1740 0785 7575 1661
Hazard leads Madrid to Alaves rout
to ease pressure on Zidane
always have to be on the up. There’s always with us.” think the best version of Hazard has been seen a
pressure. Today it went well, not just for me, for Bettoni took off Hazard as Alaves were little today and that every game we’ll see it a bit
everyone.” gaining belief early in the second period but the more.”
Zidane was confirmed to have tested Belgian enjoyed a positive outing overall that Benzema was the chief beneficiary as
positive on Friday, leaving his assistant David Zidane will hope is the start of a revival. Madrid forgot their recent woes in attack.
Bettoni to take charge in the dug-out, although The 29-year-old has had a nightmare year There were strong performances too from
Bettoni was pictured on the telephone in the and a half in Spain, with this only his third goal Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric in
second half. in La Liga and his first in the league away from midfield and the first half was probably
“He was very happy with the attitude of the home since joining from Chelsea for €100 Madrid’s best of the season
team,” said Bettoni when asked what Zidane million (RM490m). Earlier, Youssef En-Nesyri scored his second
had told him after the game. “He told me to “We have to have more patience, it’s true that hattrick in four games as Sevilla dispatched
congratulate the players, as he would have done at Real Madrid patience is Cadiz 3-0 to move up to third.
if he was difficult,” said Bettoni. “I The Moroccan striker’s treble takes him
level with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the
top of the league’s scoring charts with 11 goals
and makes it seven for him in the last four
matches.
Cadiz, meanwhile, slip to ninth, below Real
Betis, who came from behind to salvage a 2-2
draw at Real Sociedad by scoring twice in the
last five minutes.
Sociedad drop to sixth, three points adrift of
Barca in fourth. Betis climb to eighth. – AFP
24/01/2021 (SUN)
AC Milan’s Zlatan
Ibrahimovic after
sustaining an injury
during yesterday’s
Serie A match against
Atalanta at the San
Siro. – REUTERSPIX

AC stay top despite defeat

8094 0100 3887 0843
5320 9231 9281 9103

AC MILAN held top spot in Serie A failed to score a goal, falling to their
yesterday despite falling 3-0 at home second defeat this campaign after losing
2,925,473.96 against Atalanta after nearest rivals Inter to Juventus earlier this month.
were held to a goalless draw at Udinese. Atalanta move fourth into the
7695 1424 1424 7695 Stefano Pioli’s Milan saw their lead on Champions League places, seven points
7695 2152 2152 7695 second-placed Inter cut to two points but behind the leaders, and two points adrift
1424 2152 2152 1424 hold pole position at the half-way stage of of Roma who went third after a 4-3 win
111,329.68 the season for the first time since they last over Spezia.
won the title in 2011. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini hailed “one
Winning combination of any 1 of Top 3 & any 1 of Special prizes.
“Being winter champions means of our best performances in recent years”.
nothing to me, now we have to react,” said “Tonight we were a bit superior on
Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. everything, a great satisfaction to play like
1st Prize 7695 + “Now comes the most difficult phase. this in the San Siro.”
We have to think positively and get back Antonio Conte’s Inter failed to follow
2nd Prize 1424 + up.” on from their win over Juventus and the
3rd Prize 2152 + SNAKE Milan were outplayed at home with chance to go top with a victory in Udine.
Atalanta’s Cristian Romero heading in the Chances were few for Inter with
4th Prize Special Prize + first goal after 26 minutes in the San Siro. Lautaro Martinez having a goal ruled
5th Prize Consolation Prize + Josip Ilicic added a second from the offside and Nicolo Barella volleying wide in
penalty spot eight minutes after the break the rain.
6th Prize Any 4D drawn number
after receiving a Franck Kessie elbow in the Frustrations boiled over with Conte
face. Ibrahimovic missed a chance to banished from the sidelines at the end of
TOTO 5D & 6D PRIZE PAYMENTS GUARANTEED IN FULL
equalise just before halftime. the game for arguing with the referee.
8 1 3 7 7 Milan’s new signing Mario Mandzukic In Rome, Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a
came off the bench for the final 20 last-gasp winner as Roma bounced back
1 3 7 7 minutes but could not find the net on his after their Italian Cup defeat by Spezia
3 6 6 2 2 3 7 7 debut despite testing Atalanta keeper with a 4-3 win over the promoted side.
5 3 3 8 1 7 7 Pierluigi Gollini. “It was an incredible moment,” said a
Colombian striker Duvan Zapata relieved Roma coach Paulo Fonseca.
connected with a Romero cross to seal the “It showed the team spirit. We needed
3 5 2 8 2 6 three points with quarter of an hour to go to win this game and it would have been
in the San Siro. incredibly unfair not to after how we
3 5 2 8 2 5 2 8 2 6 For the first time this season Milan played.” – AFP
3 5 2 8 2 8 2 6
3 5 2
3 5
8 2
2
6
6
Leipzig slump to surprise loss
TOTO GAMES GIVES YOU MORE WINNING CHANCES! US international Tyler Adams scored his side missed the chance to move within
first Bundesliga goal yesterday but RB a point of league leaders Bayern
6 14 20 34 44 57 Leipzig suffered a blow to their title Munich.
hopes with a shock 3-2 defeat away to Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen also
10,380,216.43 crisis club Mainz. dropped points with a 1-0 defeat to
Adams, 21, opened his German Wolfsburg.
league account with a tap-in, pouncing Leverkusen started furiously, but
7 10 12 19 22 31 on the rebound after Marcel Sabitzer hit Wolfsburg were more clinical and took
11,434,776.86 the bar to put Leipzig ahead early on. the lead through a Ridle Baku header
A rare fumble from goalkeeper Peter on 35 minutes.
Gulacsi allowed Moussa Niakhate to Manchester United loanee Timothy
3 5 13 19 24 26 1 equalise for Mainz, but Marcel Fosu-Mensah came on at halftime for
Halstenberg quickly restored the lead. Leverkusen to make his Bundesliga
Jackpot 1 2,664,490.70 Niakhate equalised for a second time debut, but his team remained toothless
Jackpot 2 203,132.19 shortly before half-time, before Leandro in the second half.
Barreiro turned in a Danny Da Costa “We lacked imagination today,” said
cross just after the break to hand Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky.
second-from-bottom Mainz only their The win saw Wolfsburg break into
Visit www.sportstoto.com.my second win this term. the top four, leapfrogging both Borussia
for e-Results and more info. “It’s a blow, that’s for sure, the title Dortmund and high-fliers Union Berlin,
isn’t really in our heads at the moment,” who fell to their second defeat in a row
said Leipzig captain Willi Orban after his with a 2-1 loss away to Augsburg. – AFP
 23
theSUN ON MONDAY | JANUARY 25, 2021

* SPORTS

Marseille will overcome
troubles: Villas-Boas
ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS said he was confident Marseille
will emerge from their turbulent run after his team slid
to a third successive Ligue 1 defeat following
yesterday’s 3-1 loss at Monaco.
“There is no crisis. The mindset was good, the
players were concentrated and focused. I think we’ll
come through this because the guys are giving
everything,” said Villas-Boas.
Nemanja Radonjic skipped clear of the home
defence to give Marseille the lead on 12 minutes at
the Stade Louis II, but Monaco equalised early in the
second half through Guillermo Maripan’s header.
Aurelien Tchouameni’s first goal in the French top-
flight put Monaco ahead before Stevan Jovetic’s
thumping free-kick in stoppage time sealed a fifth
victory in six games for Niko Kovac’s resurgent team.
“The goal at the start of the second half really hurt
us,” said Villas-Boas.
Hammers thrash Doncaster, Yves stars for Brighton
WEST HAM UNITED cruised into the FA Cup
fifth round with a routine 4-0 home win over
Doncaster.
First-half goals from Pablo Fornals and
Andriy Yarmolenko put David Moyes’ side in
control and after Andy Butler put through his
own net, debutant Oladapo Afolayan added the
cherry on top with a late fourth.
There was still time for young goalkeeper
Nathan Trott and fellow academy graduate
Jamal Baptiste to be given debuts on a pleasing
day all-round for three-time FA Cup winners.
Yves Bissouma’s stunning strike helped
Brighton avoid an Cup upset as they scraped
into the fifth round with a 2-1 win over League
One Blackpool.
Brighton midfielder Bissouma, who has been
linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs in recent
weeks, underlined his undoubted ability by
opening the scoring with a thunderous drive
from fully 30 yards.
The visitors briefly levelled through Gary
Madine’s close-range finish but were unable to
claim a second successive Premier League scalp
as Seagulls midfielder Steven Alzate claimed a
fortuitous second-half winner.
Brighton’s narrow victory books a trip to
either Brentford or Leicester and provides a
timely confidence boost ahead of Wednesday’s
top-flight showdown with fellow strugglers
Fulham.
Sheffield United secured just their third win
of the season as fans’ favourite Billy Sharp
helped Chris Wilder’s men avoid an upset
against Plymouth.
The Blades have endured a wretched
campaign but the Premier League’s bottom side
have shown flickers of life recently, making it
three wins from four matches in all
competitions yesterday.
Veteran striker Sharp was the key man at
Bramall Lane, providing a lovely cross for Chris
Basham’s opener before scoring a fine goal early
in the second half of a 2-1 win against League
One side Plymouth.
Panutche Camara’s goal made it a nervy final
15 minutes, but the Blades held on to set up a
home fifth-round tie against Bristol City.
Callum Styles fired a deserved winner as
Barnsley beat Norwich 1-0 to reach the fifth
round for the first time in eight years.
Swansea strolled into the fifth round with a
5-1 victory over Championship rivals
Nottingham Forest while Bristol City cruised
past Millwall 3-0 to secure their place in the fifth
round for just the second time in 20 years. – The
Independent

Bruce defends
“We lost confidence. We conceded three goals
from set-pieces even though we’ve been solid in that
area. The first half was good, the second not very
There were large
good.”
Arkadiusz Milik made his Marseille debut off the
parts I was pleased
bench after signing on an 18-month loan from Napoli, about, says

toothless Magpies
but the Polish striker was unable to arrest his new
club’s slump as they lost a third league game in a row
for the first time since April 2015.
Newcastle boss
They remain sixth and 13 points behind leaders after Villa defeat
Paris Saint-Germain, while Monaco are closing in on
the top three with just a point separating them and
Lyon. – AFP

S
TEVE BRUCE insists he
TOUCHLINES was “pleased” about
“large parts” of
BARCELONA hope they can sign Manchester Newcastle’s performance
City striker Sergio Aguero, 32, and Bayern in the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa,
Munich defender David Alaba, 28, on free despite seeing his side extend
transfers in the summer when the respective their winless streak to 10
contracts of the Argentine and Austrian run out. matches.
The Magpies are just seven
CHELSEA and Manchester United are monitoring points clear of the relegation
France forward Ousmane Dembele’s contract zone after a fifth consecutive
situation at Barcelona, with the 23-year-old having defeat, as the pressure mounts
18 months left on his deal with the Nou Camp on Bruce.
club. But the Newcastle boss took a
positive spin on the defeat to
MANCHESTER UNITED will go head to head with Dean Smith’s side at Villa Park,
Liverpool for the signature of RB Leipzig and following goals from Ollie
France defender Dayot Upamecano, 22. Watkins and Bertrand Traore.
“We’ve gifted them a goal and
BARCELONA manager Ronald Koeman knows the after that it was difficult, but there
“economic situation of the club is an influence” but were large parts of it that I was
says they need to sign players to improve. pleased about,” Bruce told Sky
Sports. “I’ve seen enough to be
LEICESTER CITY manager Brendan Rodgers is encouraged. There was enough
one of the names Chelsea could consider to there to work on.
become their manager if they decide to sack “It’s always the difficult part
Frank Lampard. (to attack), we’ve found it
Aston Villa’s Ollie extremely difficult to score a goal.
EVERTON and Leicester are interested in Watkins (right) Another game Tuesday, let’s get
Southampton and England striker Danny Ings, who ready.
vies with
has 18 months left on his contract with the Saints. “I’ve seen enough, them two
Newcastle coming on, one or two get back
FORMER Liverpool and Newcastle United boss United’s Jamaal fit, we’ve got a problem at
Rafael Benitez would like a quick return to Lascelles during centreback. Big players are the
management after leaving Chinese side Dalian their English ones who can create, they’re
Professional, with Napoli and Roma interested Premier League coming back to fitness.
in the 60-year-old Spaniard but Benitez is set to match “We’re half-way, we’ve been
take over from Neil Lennon at Celtic. at Villa Park stuck on 19 points, we’ve had a
yesterday. difficult period. I’ve seen enough
WEST BROM are considering signing former – AFPPIX of the team and what they’re
Leicester forward Ahmed Musa on a short-term capable of to try and finish where
contract. The 28-year-old Nigeria international is we finished last season (13th, 10
without a club after leaving Saudi Arabian side Al points above the relegation
Nassr. zone).
“I’ve been criticised for
everything, I don’t necessarily
RESULTS
FA CUP 4TH RD: Chelsea 3 Luton 1, Barnsley 1
agree with that either
(accusations that the style of play
is too negative).
“Of course we’re not going to
be entertaining or open, if we go
that way, I don’t think we’ve got
enough. We’ve got to tighten up
defensively.
“We are not alone, there are
other teams in difficult runs, it is
how we handle it,” added Bruce.
“Keep working hard and that is
the only way you will change it.”
Victory at Villa Park saw the
Birmingham club move up to
eighth place in the table.
“I thought we were good
especially in the first half,” Villans
manager Smith, who was
observing a touchline ban, told
Sky.
“We overplayed a little in the
second half and could have
scored a couple more.”
Smith was in the stands as
punishment after accepting a FA
disciplinary charge for using
abusive and/or insulting
language towards referee Jon
Moss during Villa’s 2-0 defeat by
Manchester City last week.
The Villa boss asked the
officials if they had got juggling
balls for Christmas after City
midfielder Rodri ran back from
an offside position to tackle
Tyrone Mings and pass for
Bernardo Silva to score the
opening goal.
“We have had three tough
away games and we only got one
point, there were some debatable
decisions in the Manchester
games but today we did well,”
said Smith after yesterday’s
success. – The Independent/AFP

Abraham’s hattrick takes heat off Lampard

Norwich 0, Brighton 2 Blackpool 1, Cheltenham 1
Manchester City 3, Millwall 0 Bristol City 3,
Sheffield United 2 Plymouth 1, Southampton 1
Arsenal 0, Swansea 5 Nottingham Forest 1, West
Ham 4 Doncaster 0.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Preston North End 0 Reading 0.
SERIE A: Juventus 2 (Arthur 15, McKennie 71)
Bologna 0, Roma 4 (Mayoral 17, 52, Karsdorp 55,
Pellegrini 90+2) Spezia 3 (Piccoli 24, Farias 59, Verde
90), AC Milan 0 Atalanta 3 (Romero 26, Ilicic 53-
pen, Zapata 77), Udinese 0 Inter Milan 0,
Fiorentina 2 (Bonaventura 20, Vlahovic 32) Crotone
1 (Simy 66), Benevento 2 (Viola 31, Lapadula 49)
Torino 2 (Zaza 51, 90+3).
LIGUE 1: Bordeaux 2 Angers SCO 1.
TAMMY ABRAHAM eased the pressure on
under-fire Frank Lampard as the Chelsea
striker’s hattrick sealed a 3-1 win against
Luton in the FA Cup fourth round yesterday.
In just his second season in charge at
Chelsea, Lampard is fighting to avoid the
sack after a wretched run in the Premier
League.
An embarrassing FA Cup exit against
Championship opposition would have
pushed Lampard closer to the axe, but
Abraham’s clinical display gave his manager
some much-needed breathing space.
Abraham scored twice in the first half
before Jordan Clark got one back for Luton
after yet another blunder from Chelsea
keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Luton gave Lampard some nervous
moments after that, before Abraham finally
sent Chelsea through to a last 16 tie at
second tier Barnsley.
Lampard will know that Chelsea, who
were FA Cup runners-up last season, are still a
long way from the finished article.
One of his biggest headaches has been
the poor form of Timo Werner and there was
more bad news for the Germany striker as he
missed a late penalty.
After notoriously demanding Blues owner
Roman Abramovich bankrolled a £200
million (RM1.1b) spending spree in the close-
season, Lampard was expected to mount a
title challenge.
But a dismal run of five defeats in their
last eight Premier League games has left
Chelsea languishing in ninth place.
Amid talk that Lampard will be sacked if
Chelsea don’t finish in the top four or fall
completely out of contention, former Paris
Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and ex-
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri have
been linked with his job. – AFP
 QUOTE OF THE DAY
We’ve gifted them a goal and after that it
was difficult, but there were large parts of
it that I was pleased about. I’ve seen enough to be
encouraged. There was enough there to work on. It’s
always the difficult part (to attack), we’ve found it
extremely difficult to score a goal.”
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce after losing to Aston Villa
MONDAY • JANUARY 25, 2021

Gunners shot themselves in the foot: Arteta

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta was to be out and (in) the way we lost the lessons have been learned, as they going to win the League. They’re not climb the Premier League table and
displeased at his team’s performance game, conceding in an area where we look to continue their upturn in going to get into the top four unless their only chance for some silverware
in the FA Cup fourth-round defeat to cannot give the ball away,” the fortunes in League play at least – they go on one of the best runs in the this season is in the Europa League.
Southampton, but had little manager told BT Sport yesterday. though their opponents are one place history of the Premier League. Another prominent absentee for
sympathy for his players at the “We had issues in the first half above them in the table. “So, for me, this is the one. This is Saturday’s FA Cup defeat was the in-
manner of their exit. controlling certain aspects and with “Southampton demands the best the one that made Arteta last time form Emile Smith-Rowe, who has
The Gunners were the reigning the high press they do. We had two or out of you and the boys tried their out. I honestly cannot believe it. made Arsenal tick in the middle of the
holders of the trophy but exited this three important moments but didn’t best. I hope we can use that to be “This is a more important game park in recent weeks.
year’s competition without any real hit the target, not enough to win the even more prepared.” than midweek League game, in my Southampton will face another
impact, losing 1-0 at St. Mary’s on game. Arteta came under fire for not opinion. They aren’t getting relegated Premier League side, Wolves, in the
Saturday. “The way we conceded is our own starting the match with Pierre- and they are not getting into the top- next round.
Arteta criticised his team’s start to fault and you cannot do that. it’s a Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre four. For me, bad decisions.” With their next opponents
the match, which saw Saints lesson. Lacazette, Bukayo Saka and Thomas It could be argued that the FA Cup enduring a poor run in the League
dominate and eventually score when “In the second half we were much Partey. saved Arteta’s job because if he hadn’t and having struggled in their 1-0 win
Kyle Walker-Peters’ shot across goal more dominant and played in the Former Gunner Paul Merson told won that competition last season at non-league Chorley on Friday, the
was turned in by Gunners defender opponent’s half but it wasn’t enough.” Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports that he then he probably would have been 1976 winners will fancy their chances
Gabriel. Arsenal travel to Southamton could not believe the quartet were sent his marching orders during this of progressing further at Molineux.
“I’m really sad to be out of the again in midweek for the Premier not in the starting XI. campaign. “It was a good team performance,”
competition. Congratulations to League game on Wednesday (4.15am “I cannot understand what he’s Pressure will mount on Arteta Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl told BT
Southampton but (I’m) disappointed Malaysian time) and Arteta hopes that doing,” said Merson. “They’re not again because they are still trying to Sport. – The Independent/Agencies

McGregor knocked out -p21 Real relief -p22 Bruce defends toothless Magpies -p23

Late escape
City avoid shock Cup exit with late goals at Cheltenham

F
OURTH-TIER Cheltenham Town This was an unimpressive, scratchy
came within minutes of one of the display from City’s much-changed team,
great FA Cup shocks before with Guardiola resting so many of the
Manchester City scored three late players who are giving
goals in nine minutes to win an absorbing them such an ominous
fourth-round tie 3-1 yesterday. look in the Premier League
Alfie May looked poised to write his – luckily they had the
name into the competition’s folklore when brilliance of Foden to pull them out
he pounced to put his side ahead in the of a deep hole.
59th minute at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium. Foden has emerged as City’s top scorer
Cheltenham, 72 places lower than City this term but reflecting on the win, the
in the standings, were holding on and England international insisted his only
edging towards a fairytale win but reality focus was on seeking to keep improving
returned when Phil Foden equalised in the and contributing to the team.
81st minute. “At the moment I’m loving it – you can
Three minutes later Gabriel Jesus put ask anyone there is no better feeling than
City in front and Ferran Torres added a scoring,” Foden told mancity.com.
cruel third with the last kick. “I’m enjoying it at the moment, I’m
Some say the romance of the world’s scoring a lot of goals and want to keep
oldest knockout competition has been scoring as that’s what I enjoy.
diluted in recent times. “I’m playing well but you can easily
But this tie had everything apart from, have a bad performance so for me I just
sadly, a baying crowd because of the want to keep improving and keep on top of
Covid-19 pandemic. my game as the best players in the world
There were incredible goalline are so consistent every game and want to
clearances, near misses, throw-ins be like this.”
launched like grenades and even a five- The League Two side gave a
minute delay in the first half as fireworks magnificent account of themselves and
exploded above the stadium. Foden said the City boss had spoken at
In the end it was a relieved Pep half-time about seeking to try and find a
Guardiola whose side’s 10th successive solution to negate the hosts’ threat.
win in all competitions set up a last-16 tie “I thought we were a bit slow at times in
away to Championship high-flyers the first half but we’re delighted we got the
Swansea City. win,” Foden added.
“We came here with humility and had “The manager said to keep going but Manchester
the quality to make the difference,” that some of the long balls weren’t working City’s Phil
Guardiola said. and bouncing out of play so to keep it Foden (left)
“They used their quality in the box, they short. vies with
are taller and better than us there and we “We did that really well in the second Cheltenham
showed clips on how to solve it. It is half and broke the lines with the passes Town’s Chris
difficult to control that.” and in the end we got the goal.” Clements
The sight of Guardiola disputing where For Cheltenham manager Michael Duff during their
Cheltenham could take a throw-in said it was a case of what might have been. English FA Cup
everything about the way the League Two “I’m incredibly proud,” the Robins boss 4th round
underdogs gave their mighty opponents a said of his side’s display. match at The
serious fright. “The players they brought on from the Jonny-Rocks
The fact Guardiola was forced to use bench and they way they celebrated the stadium in
three subs in Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan goals tells you something. Cheltenham
and Joao Cancelo once Cheltenham went “They know they’ve been in a game.
yesterday.
ahead proved how worried the Premier They’ve done that to better teams than us.”
League giants were. – AFP/Reuters/Agencies – AFPPIX

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