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Top 5 at 5: The Politics of Najib's Royal Addendum

Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, Director, Vriens & Partners

14-Jan-25 17:00

Top 5 at 5: The Politics of Najib's Royal Addendum

The royal addendum received by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues to stir the nation, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim clarifies that no such documents were sent to or concealed by the government. We unpack and discuss this with Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, Director, Vriens & Partners.

Other stories we covered:

· Can cops really search our phones?: According to the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, the police have the right to inspect the phones of those suspected of criminal activity. While he cites laws that could justify these searches, it begs the question of whether the phone inspections should be allowed in the first place. We reached out to N. Surendran, adviser to the civil liberties NGO, Lawyers for Liberty for his thoughts.

· Complete asbestos ban in the works: This was announced by Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, with NGOs backing the move. We first hear about the health risks of asbestos exposure from consultant respiratory physician, Dr Helmy Haja Mydin. Then, Mageswari Sangaralingam, Chief Executive at the Consumers Association of Penang shares how the association has been advocating for a total ban since the 1980s.

· Who’s responsible for botched beauty procedures?: With 46 complaints lodged to the Ministry of Health, it raises concerns for how action will be taken on the beauty centres who exploit loopholes in the law and the lack of enforcement of the Medical Act 1971. Dato' Dr Noor Zalmy Azizan, a member of the Main Credentialing and Privileging Committee of Aesthetic Medical Practice weighs in. To search for the procedures, practitioners and premises that are allowed to provide aesthetic services you can refer to the Medical Practice Division of the Ministry of Health, or report complaints to: amp@moh.gov.my.

· Ad-man Oliviero Toscani passes at 84: At his peak in the 1980s and 90s, Oliviero was infamous for his provocative advertising campaigns for Benneton which prompted censorship from Italy and France. We discuss his work and how he pushed the boundaries for different body types and skin tones in advertising.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Alia Zefri, Christine Yong, Sudais Ferhard, Tee Shiao Eek, Sharaad Kuttan

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Kam Raslan


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Categories:  visual artsculturegovernmentcorruptioncontroversiesmanaging diseasehealth policy

Tags:  najib razak addendumOliviero Toscanibotched proceduresbeauty proceduresasbestos bannajib razakasbestospolicemobile phonespolicing





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