It’s Tuesday, October 6, and these are the updates for you.
Firstly, the government has confirmed that RM314 million in revenue collected through Zetrix AI and MyEG for Road Transport Department, or JPJ, services had not been remitted to the government.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the money was collected through the two companies but was not transferred into the government’s main collection account.
Importantly, Loke said the RM314 million accumulated between May 19 and September 30 this year.
That means the amount built up in just over four months, rather than over several years as previously reported.
The government says it had issued 35 reminder notices and held four engagement sessions with the companies.
A post-dated cheque worth RM231 million was also submitted.
However, Loke said the cheque was presented to the bank on September 30 but was not processed on the company’s instructions.
The government has now suspended MyEG and Zetrix AI from acting as collection agents for JPJ services.
Legal action will also be taken to recover the full amount.
JPJ services remain available through its own channels, including counters, kiosks, the MyJPJ app and other authorised platforms.
The issue is now raising questions over how government revenue collected by private intermediaries is monitored and reconciled.
The government’s position is that the full amount must be recovered.
But the bigger question is how such a large sum was allowed to remain outstanding in the first place.
Secondly, there will be no by-election for the Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat following the resignation of Lee Chean Chung.
The Election Commission said the vacancy does not need to be filled because the current Parliament has less than two years remaining before its automatic dissolution.
The 15th Parliament’s term ends in December 2027.
After that, a general election must be held within 60 days.
Lee resigned as Petaling Jaya MP on Friday after PKR suspended him for three years.
He formally left PKR yesterday and has since joined the newly formed Bersama party, alongside former PKR figures including Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Wong Chen.
This means Petaling Jaya residents will not have a federal MP representing the constituency for the remainder of this parliamentary term, unless Parliament is dissolved earlier.
Lee is also now part of Bersama’s interim leadership and is expected to help lead the party’s campaign machinery for the upcoming Melaka state election.
Thirdly, the government’s effort to recover money linked to the Littoral Combat Ship missile procurement could take years.
Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Malaysia’s compensation claim over the Naval Strike Missile deal cannot be resolved quickly because the Norwegian government has not agreed to intervene.
Malaysia is seeking compensation from Norwegian defence manufacturer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace after Norway revoked the export licence for the missile system intended for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship vessels.
The government has previously put the total claim at around one billion ringgit.
That figure covers money already paid, as well as indirect losses.
Malaysia has also been looking for replacement missile systems, but that comes with its own challenges.
The new system must be compatible with the LCS combat management system.
Procurement and delivery could also take several years.
Khaled said Malaysia therefore cannot simply wait for the compensation claim to be settled before moving ahead with securing replacement missiles.
The government is now expected to consider funding for a new system while continuing efforts to recover the money from the original procurement.
Fourthly, a PAS lawmaker is calling for a more humane approach towards Rohingya refugees, even as calls grow for tighter immigration controls.
Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman said Malaysia must balance national security, border control and proper registration with humanitarian considerations.
He argued that the refugee issue cannot be separated from the conflict in Myanmar, particularly the violence and instability in Rakhine State.
Tarmizi also called for stronger ASEAN diplomatic efforts to address the causes of displacement.
He said refugee flows are unlikely to stop while the conflict continues.
The remarks come as Malaysia continues to debate how to manage undocumented migrants and refugees while maintaining border security.
Fifthly, there is another development in the investigation into the death of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya in Yong Peng.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has confirmed that the school did have CCTV cameras.
However, none of them covered the area where the incident took place.
The Form Four student was found with multiple injuries in the school hall after additional classes on Saturday.
Fadhlina said the ministry is now taking immediate action to improve CCTV coverage.
The school’s security company is also under investigation.
The ministry is checking patrol records and duty logs from the day of the incident.
If the company is found to have failed in its responsibilities, action could range from a non-compliance notice and financial penalties to termination of its contract.
Fadhlina also said the ministry is reviewing wider security arrangements at the school.
She stressed that CCTV alone cannot guarantee school safety.
She also reminded the public not to speculate or punish minors through social media while the police investigation is ongoing.
The ministry is continuing the phased installation of CCTV cameras in schools, with another 1,000 schools expected to be covered next year.
Sixthly, Bersatu says it will contest the upcoming Melaka state election under its own logo, but is now leaving the door open to electoral pacts.
The decision was announced after a political bureau meeting chaired by party president Muhyiddin Yassin.
Bersatu secretary-general Mohamed Azmin Ali said the party will participate in the election under its own banner and will finalise the seats it intends to contest.
However, the party is also prepared to discuss possible electoral cooperation with other parties.
That marks a shift from Azmin’s position last week.
At the time, he said Bersatu would contest the election alone and would not cooperate with any political party, including Pakatan Harapan.
The latest position comes amid political manoeuvring ahead of the Melaka polls, with parties working out seat allocations and possible alliances.
For Bersatu, the immediate challenge is now to decide where it will contest and whether any electoral cooperation can be reached before nominations.
Seventhly, moving to Penang, Rapid Penang is taking a major step towards greener public transport.
Two electric buses will hit the road for test runs today and tomorrow.
The two buses come from different manufacturers.
One is a 12-metre Foton, while the other is an 8.25-metre Golden Dragon.
They will be tested on selected routes under real-world conditions.
The tests will look at energy consumption, charging performance, passenger safety and comfort.
And this is not just a small trial.
Rapid Penang is preparing to introduce electric buses in stages, with 75 electric buses being procured in the first phase.
Deliveries are scheduled through March next year.
The wider Rapid Bus plan is to acquire up to 1,600 electric buses nationwide between 2026 and 2031.
Penang is therefore joining Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in the transition towards electric public transport.
The Rapid KL network already has electric buses operating on the Sunway Bus Rapid Transit system.
So Penang’s upcoming rollout will build on an existing model rather than starting from scratch.
For Penang passengers, the test runs are about more than simply replacing diesel buses.
They will help determine whether the electric buses can handle the island’s routes, traffic, weather and passenger demand before they are introduced more widely.
And now, moving on to sports.
Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, is opening a full investigation into the software problem that contributed to Sunday’s chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
Several cars suffered power-related problems during the formation lap in wet conditions, forcing the start to be aborted.
The race was eventually delayed for more than 90 minutes because of heavy rain.
During that delay, the FIA issued a software update.
Officials are now looking into how the software interacted with the new-generation hybrid power units under low-speed and extremely wet conditions.
The combination of poor grip, wet-weather settings and the cars’ complex hybrid systems had apparently not been sufficiently tested together.
The FIA says it will investigate the issue fully to understand what went wrong and prevent similar problems from happening again.
The incident adds another layer to what was already a chaotic return to Sepang, which had to deal with extreme rain, a delayed start and multiple technical failures.
Finally, Nepal has officially ended active search-and-rescue operations following the catastrophic floods and landslides of August 26.
The disaster has killed at least 1,455 people, while 5,285 remain missing.
Authorities are now shifting their focus towards rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The rebuilding effort is expected to cost billions of US dollars.
The decision also means families of people who remain missing can begin legal processes involving insurance, banking and inheritance, even though the search for their loved ones is coming to an end.
Malaysians are among those still unaccounted for.
The latest available information from Nepal lists 55 Malaysians among the missing foreign nationals.
Earlier reports from Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said the figure was still being verified as authorities worked to cross-check information with families, travel agencies and Nepalese authorities.
There has since been at least one reported breakthrough.
A Malaysian who had been uncontactable after the disaster reportedly reached the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on October 1, after spending 37 days without reliable communication.
However, the overall status of the remaining Malaysians has not been fully resolved.
For families still waiting for answers, Nepal’s decision marks a painful transition from rescue efforts towards legal closure and rebuilding.
Authorities have said that if human remains are discovered during reconstruction and rehabilitation work, recovery efforts will continue.
And that’s it for today’s catch-up with Newsenz.
Stay informed. Stay ahead.