The Vibes

The Dewan Rakyat turned chaotic when a Bersatu MP claimed that he had been pressured and threatened multiple times to support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan claimed that if he had thrown support behind Anwar, he would have been offered RM1.7 million in allocations, among others.

He told the Dewan Rakyat that he was contacted numerous times by unidentified individuals, after which he agreed to meet them.

“The first meeting was on Jan 17, 2024, at the Westin Hotel in Bukit Bintang and the next meeting changed to the JW Marriott Hotel,” he said.

He said one of those who had approached him during one encounter was a friend whom he did not want to name.

“I was told that if I supported Tambun (Anwar) as Prime Minister, I would receive parliamentary allocations.

“Those concerned also told me that allocations for government projects could also be distributed to my cronies. They knew I was having a hard time, with my wife also having cancer,” he said.

Is a three-day weekend going to become the new standard?

While flexible work arrangements have been available across many sectors, many organisations now offer employees opportunities to reduce work time without reducing pay.

Many national and regional governments, including California, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Spain, Wales, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, are debating, legislating or encouraging shorter workweeks, indicating a shift in official attitudes.

This year, workers in Belgium secured the legal right to complete a standard workweek in four days without any salary reductions.

Cultural shifts after the Covid-19 pandemic have fuelled interest in reduced work hours. Organisational innovations during successive lockdowns proved that flexible work arrangements can be implemented quickly and on a large scale.