Bye bye 2020 and welcome 2021
Artikel yang kak rose cnp dari Astro Awani dan tepek kat sini untuk bacaan akan datang...
THE year 2020 can be described as many things - chaotic, surreal, extraordinary.
When
@Twitter asked to describe: ‘2020 in one word’, big companies such as
Microsoft replied, ‘DELETE’, YouTube replied ‘Unsubscribe’ and Adobe
replied, ‘Ctrl-Z’.
From
the coronavirus pandemic to never-ending political sagas, it had been a
tough year for the country and Malaysians as they face months of
business hibernation, job losses, a battered economy and political
uncertainties. Yet, there were positive things that came out of the
crises, such as Malaysians coming together in support of frontliners and
the needy in times of need.
Let’s take a look back at the top stories that defined the past 12 months.
JANUARY
COVID-19: Malaysia reports its first case
On Jan 25, the first case of COVID-19 detected in Malaysia
was traced back to three Chinese nationals who previously had close
contact with an infected person in Singapore. They travelled into
Malaysia via Sungai Buloh on Jan 24. They were treated at Sungai Buloh
Hospital, Selangor.
Kimanis by-election
BN candidate Datuk Mohamad Alamin retained the parliamentary seat
defeating a candidate from Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), Datuk Karim
Bujang in the one-on-one contest.
FEBRUARY
COVID-19: First Malaysian infected
On Feb 4, a 41-year-old man was confirmed to be the first Malaysian
infected with COVID-19. He had recently returned from Singapore when he
started to develop a fever and a cough. He was quarantined at Sungai
Buloh Hospital.
Sheraton Move: A week of political upheaval
Malaysia plunged into a week of political crisis following the
unexpected resignation of 94-year-old Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Prime
Minister on Feb. 24.
This is what happened:
Feb 23 - Barisan Nasional, Bersatu, PAS and a splinter faction of PKR led by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali gathered for a “special meeting” at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya. The gathering is now referred to as the “Sheraton Move”. Those present plotted to topple the Pakatan Harapan government.
Feb 24 - Mahathir resigns, automatically bringing down the Pakatan coalition. The King re-appoints him as interim leader until a successor is named.
Feb 25 - Mahathir proposes a unity government but it was rejected.
Feb 28 - Bersatu party nominates Muhyiddin Yassin as its prime ministerial candidate. UMNO and PAS vow to back him.
Malaysia gets its 8th Prime Minister on Feb 29, the King appoints Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the eighth prime minister, on grounds that he has the majority support among lawmakers in parliament.
MARCH
COVID-19: Tabligh Cluster
Between Feb 27 to March 1, over 16,000 people gathered for a religious
gathering known as tabligh at a mosque in Sri Petaling. About 1,500 of
them were foreign nationals.
On March 11, COVID-19 infection was first detected in the cluster. A total total of 3,375 individuals who attended the four-day event were infected. The Tabligh cluster ended in July.
First deaths from COVID-19
On March 17, Malaysia recorded two deaths from COVID-19, the first
fatalities due to the pandemic in the country. One of the victims, a
34-year-old man, attended the tabligh gathering in Sri Petaling.
Malaysia imposes MCO
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced a nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) from March 18, 2020, until March 31, 2020, to deal with the spike in COVID-19 cases.
APRIL / MAY
#KitaJagaKita
When the MCO came into force on March 18, Malaysians and social
activists began to think about measures to reach out to help vulnerable
groups and to continue charitable programs, especially food aid. KitaJagaKita is an effort initiated by a group of volunteers with the aim of linking kind-hearted people with organisations to help Malaysians severely impacted by MCO
#DudukRumah
Malaysians, forced to stay home due to MCO, took to social media to
post videos of fun stuff to do, including exercise challenges, cooking
recipes (remember Dalgona coffee?) and messages to rally support to help Malaysians in need during MCO.
#MuzikDiRumah
Over 300 artists and musicians participated in the #MuzikDiRumah programme.
The initiative, organised by the Malaysian Communications and
Multimedia Commission, featured local acts through 136 programmes,
including concerts, public service messages and video interviews by
artists. It was inspired by a similar social movement carried out by
international artistes called #togetherathome.
CMCO: Eased lockdown
On May 1, the government announced it will ease lockdown restrictions
beginning May 4 under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO),
which allowed certain business sectors to resume operations.
On May 10, Muhyiddin announced that the CMCO will be extended until June 9, the fourth extension since March 18.
JUNE
PENJANA stimulus package
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday unveiled the National Economic Regeneration Plan (PENJANA) to revive the Malaysian economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
40 initiatives worth RM35 billion under PENJANA. Of these, RM10 billion is a direct fiscal injection of the government.
Veveonah viral video
A video went viral on a University Malaysia Sabah student, Veveonah Mosibin who climbed up a tree to gain internet access in order to take her online examination.
The video went viral and sparked intense discussions, with many calling
on the authorities to tackle internet connectivity problems in rural
areas.
The matter was also raised in Dewan Negara when Deputy Communications
and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin accused Veveonah for
lying and that she was an "attention-seeker" who tried to gain views by
posting the video. He issued an official apology to Veveonah after
facing backlash.
Musa Aman acquitted
On June 9, former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman was acquitted
and discharged of all 46 criminal charges linked to timber concessions
contracts in the state.
JULY
SRC case verdict: Najib found guilty
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was found guilty on
all seven charges of Criminal Breach of Trust, money laundering and
abuse of position, involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.
Najib Razak's appeal against his conviction will commence on Feb 15,
2021.
The battle for Sabah : The dissolution of the State Assembly
On July 30, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal announced the dissolution of the State Assembly, following former Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman’s claim he had a simple majority to take over the state government.
COVID-19: The end of tabligh cluster
The tabligh cluster, which was the biggest COVID-19 cluster at that point of time recorded zero cases and, thus, declared to have ended. A total of 42,023 samples were taken from the cluster with 3,375 individuals tested positive for COVID-19.
Chini by-election
This is the first election in the country following the 2020 political crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. Barisan Nasional (BN) won a landslide victory with a 12,650-vote majority.
BN candidate Mohd Sharim Md Zain, won with 13,872 votes defeating two
independent contenders, Tengku Datuk Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, and
Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli.
AUGUST
COVID-19: Minister flouting quarantine
Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali
came under fire after he failed to undergo mandatory quarantine after an
overseas trip. He was later slapped with a fine of RM1,000 by the
Ministry of Health and said he will donate four months of his salary to the government’s COVID-19 fund.
On Oct 31, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) decided that “No
Further Action” will be taken against Khairuddin, citing no solid
evidence to establish the charge.
COVID-19 - Sivagangga Cluster
The Sivagangga cluster originated from Napoh, Kubang Pasu after an
Indian man, owner of the Nasi Kandar Salleh Restaurant, disobeyed
quarantine order upon his return from Sivagangga, a town in Tamil Nadu.
Nezar Mohamed Sabur Batcha was sentenced to five months jail and fined RM12,000. Later he was sued by the Consumers Association of Kedah who seeked compensation of more than RM1 million.
Lim Guan Eng and wife charged for corruption
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng claimed trial to corruption and criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges involving the Penang undersea tunnel project. Lim faces two graft charges and two CBT charges.
He was also slapped with one corruption charge for allegedly helping to
secure the project to a company, while businesswoman Phang Li Koon was
charged with abetting him in committing the offence. Meanwhile, Lim’s
wife, Betty claimed trial to charges of money laundering. The trial will
begin in June next year.
BN's Mohd Zaidi Aziz, Tanjung Malim UMNO division deputy chief, polled
13,060 votes to beat two independent candidates, lawyer Amir Khusyairi
Mohamad Tanusi and former teacher S. Santharasekaran.
SEPTEMBER
1MDB: Charges dropped against Goldman Sachs
Court drops charges against Goldman Sachs On Sept 4, the High Court
acquitted and discharged Goldman Sachs International Ltd and its two
Asian entities, Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC and Goldman Sachs (Singapore)
on charges relating to the sale of 1MDB bonds amounting to RM27.2
billion after the prosecution withdrew all the charges against them.
Sabah Polls: GRS wins Sabah
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah gained a simple majority by winning 38 State Assembly (DUN) seats
in the 16th Sabah State Election. After much deliberation between
Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor becomes the new Sabah Chief Minister.
OCTOBER
Anwar claims to have support of more than 120 MPs
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed he has the support of more than 120 Members of Parliament to
form a new government to replace the Perikatan Nasional government. He
said he presented evidence in the form of statutory declarations to the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Goldman Sachs pays up
Goldman Sachs agreed to pay nearly USD3 billion to end a probe of its
role in the 1MDB corruption scandal. The bank's Malaysian subsidiary
also admitted in US court that it had paid more than USD1 billion in
bribes to win work raising money for the Malaysian state-owned wealth
fund.
NOVEMBER
Selangor water pollution
Over 1 million consumers in Klang Valley faced water disruptions as
operations at four water treatment plants in Selangor were forced to be
shut down due to contamination from Sungai Selangor. Four suspects were linked to the water pollution incident. Chemical waste was dumped into a sewage hole at the suspects’ premises, which then flowed into the area that was contaminated.
Helicopter Crash
Two helicopters collided mid-air before one crashed and another managed to do an emergency landing in Taman Melawati, Ampang. The victims who died were identified as Mohd Sabri Baharom and Mohd Irfan Mohamed Rawi.
PGA member shot dead on Malaysia-Thailand border
A member of the General Operations Force (PGA) Corporal Baharuddin Ramli, was shot dead by smugglers while on duty at the Malaysia-Thailand border post. His colleague Corporal Norihan A/L Tari suffered serious injuries.
Three men involved in the shooting were detained while receiving
treatment in Songkhla and Hatyai. They smuggle and barter drugs from
Thailand with ketum from Malaysia.
DECEMBER
Perak political crisis
Perak political crisis started when Datuk
Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu was forced to resign as Menteri Besar Perak
after losing vote of confidence in the state legislature. 48 assemblymen voted against him while only 10 voted for him.
The issue was later resolved after PN agreed to back Perak UMNO chairman Datuk Saarani Mohamad as the 14th Perak Menteri Besar.
Budget 2021: The biggest ever
Dewan Rakyat passes Supply Bill 2021. The Parliament voted 111-108 to approve next year’s budget of RM322.5 billion, aimed to spur the economy.
The Supply Bill 2021 went through five days of debate. It was passed by Dewan Rakyat on Dec 15.
Ku Nan found guilty
Tengku Adnan found guilty On Dec 21, the High Court sentenced former Federal Territories Minister Datuk
Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to 12 months in jail and RM2 million
fine after finding him guilty on a graft charge with receiving RM2
million from a businessman in 2016.
Azilah loses bid to escape death sentence
Former member of the police Special Action Unit (UTK) Azilah
Hadri has failed in his final legal bid to set aside his conviction and
death sentence for the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu.
The Federal Court dismissed his review application against the
conviction on Dec 8. Azilah has one option left, which is to seek a
royal pardon from the Sultan of Selangor. He has filed an application to
have the death sentence commuted to a prison term.
COVID-19 third wave hits a record high
On Dec 26, 2,335 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, with Kuala Lumpur logging the highest number of new COVID-19 cases with 728 infections.
COVID-19 Vaccines: Signed, sealed and to be delivered
Malaysia has signed deals with COVID-19 vaccine suppliers: COVAX, Pfizer and AstraZeneca and finalising agreements with Sinovac, CanSino & Gamaleya.
MOSTI Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirms that Malaysia will have a supply of vaccines for almost 83 percent of the population from February 2021 onwards. The government is to spend RM2.05 billion for vaccine procurement.
‘Meat Cartel’ scandal
On Dec 2, Sinar Harian reported that a syndicate had been smuggling frozen meat from China, Ukraine, Brazil and Argentina, before repackaging them with halal logos.
Authorities raided the meat-smuggling cartel in Senai, Johor and seized
1,500 tonnes of frozen meat worth RM30 million. The operations
reportedly have gone on for the last 40 years.
The company involved is now being investigated by the police and the
Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and is expected to be
charged in court on Dec 30.
KPDNHEP confirmed that no horse, kangaroo or pig meat was found following a raid on the warehouse in Senai.
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