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Disgraced former MP for Clutha-Southland Hamish Walker's final bill for the taxpayer was $10,000, members' expense reports show. Walker, who made headlines after outing himself as the leaker of sensitive information , spent $10,156 between October 1 and December 31, disclosure of Parliamentary Service expenses show. The bill included $4162 spent on accommodation in Wellington and $5813 on other travel expenses. However, while none of the spending would have been after October 17, as Walker stood down from Election Day as a result of his decision to leak the private patient information to media, the spending could have been between July 1 and September 30. Parliamentary Services chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said members expense disclosures are calculated based on when invoices and claims for travel are received. READ MORE: National's Joseph Mooney is the new electorate MP for Southland Have politicians finally pushed the nuclear button? National MP Hamish … [Read more...] about Disgraced former Clutha-Southland MP racks up $10k bill before departure

KUALA LUMPUR: Former political rivals Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Mohd Hamzah urged Malaysia's Members of Parliament (MP) to put the country ahead of their personal or party interests when the 2021 budget is tabled for third reading on Tuesday (Dec 15). In a joint press conference on Monday, the two local political veterans said they had come together as they hoped to help Malaysia recover and further develop the country's economy from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout. "We have people who come to meet us, asking whether we can do something about the situation. This government is only involved in politics for themselves," said Dr Mahathir. "There is no strategy to repair the economy and also handle the COVID-19 situation. Ministers are plenty, up till 30 over, but they don't seem to be doing anything, no experience," he said. The Lower House is currently in session. The Supply Bill has been tabled and passed at policy stage, and the … [Read more...] about Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh to ‘cooperate’, urge MPs to think of country in final budget vote

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and four other federal lawmakers have been sacked from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) on Thursday (May 28). In a letter addressed to Dr Mahathir by Bersatu's executive secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya, the former prime minister was informed that he has been sacked according to clauses 10.2.2 and 10.2.3 of the party's constitution. Mr Muhammad Suhaimi said this was because Dr Mahathir had sat with the opposition bloc during the parliamentary sitting on May 18, and not with the Perikatan Nasional coalition led by Bersatu's president and current Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Other Members of Parliament (MPs), including Mr Mukhriz Mahathir, Mr Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, Mr Amiruddin Hamzah and Dr Maszlee Malik were also sacked from the party. Supporters of Dr Mahathir - Bersatu's former chairman  - are at odds with those backing Mr Muhyiddin. The split in the party came after Mr Muhyiddin's … [Read more...] about Former Malaysian PM Mahathir and 4 other MPs sacked from Bersatu

KUALA LUMPUR:  Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and five Members of Parliament (MPs) aligned to him announced on Friday (Jul 10) that they will remain as an independent bloc and will not join any coalition. In a joint statement, they said they are also standing by with a decision made in June to nominate Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal as candidate for prime minister. Mr Mohd Shafie is the president of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan). “For our part, Shafie’s nomination as prime minister candidate is a positive step that needs to be taken. Not only because we believe in his ability to obtain majority support, but it is also a step towards improving relations between the (Malaysian) peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak,” the joint statement said. Dr Mahathir and the five MPs said they will stick with Warisan as an independent bloc both in and out of the parliament. Five of them, including Dr Mahathir and his son Mr Mukhriz Mahathir, had their Bersatu party … [Read more...] about Mahathir and 5 other MPs form independent bloc, reiterate support for Sabah’s Shafie Apdal as PM

SINGAPORE: Singapore People's Party (SPP) chairman Jose Raymond announced on Tuesday (Dec 22) that he is leaving politics to focus on expanding his business. In a Facebook post, Mr Raymond thanked his supporters and his team of volunteers for their efforts during the 2020 General Election. "My team and I fought with lots of heart, and kept going because of how you responded," he said. Mr Raymond said the time has come for him to focus on things that will help him "create impact in other ways, to help others in different ways" and to take his firm regional. He is the chief strategy officer of SW Strategies, a strategy advisory firm which he started in 2016. Mr Raymond said in his Facebook post that he has been wanting to take the firm regional since starting the firm and that the Malaysian chapter was added in 2019. Speaking to CNA, Mr Raymond said he submitted his resignation letter last Thursday, adding that he plans to have the "third chapter" of his company either in … [Read more...] about Singapore People’s Party chairman Jose Raymond to retire from politics