Reformist leader Anwar named prime minister of Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur (AP): Malaysia's king on Thursday named reformist opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as the country's Prime Minister, ending days of uncertainty after divisive general elections produced a hung Parliament.
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Anwar will be sworn in as the nation's 10th leader at the palace at 5 pm (0900 GMT) at the palace.
Anwar's Alliance of Hope led Saturday's election with 82 seats, short of the 112 needed for a majority.
An unexpected surge of ethnic Malay support propelled Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's right-leaning National Alliance to win 72 seats, with its ally Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party emerging as the biggest single party with 49 seats.
The stalemate was resolved after the long-ruling bloc led by the United Malays National Organisation agreed to support a unity government under Anwar.
Such a tie-up was once unthinkable in Malaysian politics, long dominated by rivalry between the two parties. Other influential groups in Borneo island have said they will follow the king's decision.
"His Royal Highness reminds all parties that the winners do not win all and the losers do not lose everything," a palace statement read.
The monarch urged Anwar and his new government to be humble, and said all opposing parties should reconcile to ensure a stable government and end Malaysia's political turmoil, which has led to three prime ministers since 2018 polls.
The palace statement said the king was satisfied Anwar is the candidate who is likely to have majority support but didn't give details of the new government.
Police have tightened security nationwide as social media warned of racial troubles if Anwar's multiethnic bloc wins.
Anwar's rise to the top will ease fears over greater Islamisation. But he faces a tall task in bridging racial divides that deepened after Saturday's poll, as well as reviving an economy struggling with rising inflation and a currency that has fallen to its weakest point.
Malays form two-thirds of Malaysia's 33 million people, which include large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
"He will have to make compromises with other actors in the government that means that the reform process will be a more inclusive one," said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia political expert.
"Anwar is a globalist, which will assure international investors. He has been seen to be a bridge builder across communities, which will test his leadership moving forward but at the same juncture offers a reassuring hand for the challenges that Malaysia will face."
It marked a second victory for Anwar's reformist bloc. It won 2018 elections that led to the first regime change since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957. But the government collapsed after Muhyiddin defected and joined hands with UMNO to form a new government. Muhyiddin's government was beset by internal rivalries and he resigned after 17 months. UMNO leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob was then picked by the king as the prime minister.
Many rural Malays fear they may lose their privileges with greater pluralism under Anwar. Fed up with corruption and infighting in UMNO, many opted for Muhyiddin's bloc in Saturday's vote.
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244 Maoists, 154 gangsters arrested by Jharkhand Police in 2024
Ranchi (PTI): The police have claimed that it made significant strides in addressing the menace of Left Wing extremism in 2024, arresting 244 Maoists, including key leaders.
Among those arrested were one Special Area Committee (SAC) member, two zonal commanders, six sub-zonal commanders, and six area commanders.
IG (Operations) AV Homkar said that the police picked up SAC member Jaya Di alias Chinta, Shambhu Ganjhu alias Ravi Ganjhu, a zonal commander with a Rs 10 lakh reward on his head, and Sitaram Rajwar alias Raman Rajwar, also carrying a Rs 10 lakh bounty.
Several extremists from the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter group of the CPI (Maoist), were also arrested, including Adesh Kumar Ganjhu, Sabita Sharma alias Raja Ji, and others, carrying a total reward of Rs 36 lakh, he said.
The police also arrested 154 members of various criminal gangs during the year.
"In 2024, 24 Maoists surrendered, including four zonal commanders, one sub-zonal commander, three area commanders, and one member," he said adding that nine Maoists were killed in police encounters, while the authorities recovered 123 weapons, including 35 looted police firearms, seven standard weapons, and 81 locally made firearms.
Police also seized 246.40 kg of explosives, and Rs 13.39 lakh collected as levy. Furthermore, 239 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by Maoists were destroyed by the police, a statement from police headquarters claimed.
On the cybercrime front, Jharkhand Police registered 1,295 cases, leading to 971 arrests.
The authorities recovered 2,118 mobile phones, 2,905 SIM cards, 606 ATM cards, 165 bank passbooks, and 52 laptops, among other items.
"Cash recoveries amounted to Rs 8.17 crore, and Rs 77.20 lakh was frozen in bank accounts. A significant tool in combating cybercrime was the Pratibimb App, which helped register 274 cases and led to the arrest of 898 individuals. Through these efforts, Rs 66.43 crore was frozen in bank accounts, and Rs 3.27 crore was returned to victims," the statement said.
In anti-drug operations, police arrested 1,362 individuals involved in drug-related offences.
Police claimed the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) also made strides, arresting four operatives linked to Al Qaeda.
Along with these arrests, ATS seized Rs 1.22 crore in cash and Rs 15 lakh worth of jewellery.
Homkar said Jharkhand Police also focused on the well-being of their personnel and organised Public Grievance Resolution Programmes across all districts.
