Just when we thought 41 civil forfeiture suits were a big deal, we find out it ain’t even half the story. In fact, to hear Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng tell it, the RM270 million being sought by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is only the tip of the illicit money iceberg. 

Guan Eng says many, many more people and groups were given 1MDB monies by ex-PM Najib Razak. What was really interesting about the money minister's revelation was that the beneficiaries of the Jibster's "cash is king" policy included press associations in Penang. 

One group – the Penang Press Club – has already said it’s willing to return the RM50,000 it was handed during the 2013 General Elections. However, others have either denied receiving any money or declined to comment.

Just how did and why did the Penang press groups get handed cash? Well, it was all thanks to a dubious association called 1Malaysia-Penang Welfare Club which organised a bunch of events in the state (one of which was a massive almost-free concert featuring international stars like Ludacris and Busta Rhymes) to try and swing support for Barisan Nasional in the run-up to GE13. Fat load of good that did though!

There were many allegations at the time as to who was actually behind the club, and the oft-repeated rumour was that it was none other than everyone’s favourite ladoo and Leo DiCaprio’s former best bud– Jho Low. The fishy financier, of course, denied everything. But he’s also denied any wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal, despite evidence to the contrary and one-time member ketat Jibby turning on him. So yeah ...

These new revelations are a black mark against journo groups - why did they not come clean earlier? Also, the revelations make you wonder just how many people were paid (paid off?) to influence the 1MDB narrative. If 41 groups and individuals is just the tip of the iceberg, how big is the total number?

After almost a year of talking about it, Election Commission chairman Art Harun has confirmed that a motion to lower the national voting age from 21 to 18 will be tabled in Parliament next week.

Pakatan Harapan had made dropping the voting age a promise in their GE14 manifesto, so this may finally become a reality - if the Opposition plays ball.

Some folk claimed PAS and Umno would back this move, but Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa’s recent non-committal remarks suggest getting the motion passed as law – which would require two-thirds support in Parliament – may not be so simple.  

If the incident where Opposition MPs stubbornly refused to consent to a law that would have restored the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia is anything to go by, it’s clear that power struggles in the Dewan Rakyat take precedence over the welfare of the people. Politicians, eh? Can't live with 'em, and giving them what they deserve would technically be a crime ...

Ultimately, whether this law gets passed or not will come down to a political equation - would Barisan consider 18 to 21-year-olds a winnable voting bloc, or would they think that group has drunk too much of the Pakatan Kool Aid to be salvageable?

We’ve already talked about the implications and potential issues of lowering of the voting age in a previous newsletter, so we won’t go over that again. But check out these two excellent articles from The Economist and The Guardian on why some countries which already allow 18-year-olds to vote are considering going even lower. The stories don’t directly relate to Malaysia, but they offer insight into some of the pro arguments. 

Remember when Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu was a humble chap who appeared stunned when he discovered an entourage of assistants, bodyguards and police waiting to escort him to work? Well, it would seem, at least from his recent hissy fit, that those halcyon days are clearly in the past.

The guy once touted as down-to-earth these days sees it fit to blast Malaysia Airlines on account of a flight being delayed. And on Mindef stationery too!

Mat Sabu was supposed to fly to London to visit the Queen meet with PM Mahathir Mohamad. What was so important that he couldn’t just WhatsApp Video the PM about, no one knows. But the meeting with Maddey never happened because of a two-hour-plus flight delay, which resulted in Sabs stamping his feet like an entitled toddler and issuing the national carrier with an official warning.

MAS has since grovelled apologised to the minister over the delay, but we’re not sure the airline should have even bothered entertaining him.

Flights get delayed for a whole truckload of reasons. It sucks, sure. But that’s just one of those things you're expected to deal with when you travel by air - especially when the delay is over technical issues that could affect safety. Secondly, a government-issued censure means this was an official cock-up, which would make MAS answerable to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, and not Mat Sabu. Lastly, if the meeting was so important, perhaps Mat Sabu could have planned on arriving a bit earlier - or got Maddey to delay it a bit when he knew he was going to be delayed?

Oh sure, Sabs has now tried to smooth things over by saying he’s always been a fan of the national carrier, but that cuts no ice. The minister was outta line. Plain and simple. And no amount of paraphrasing Phil Collins is gonna change that.

“It is rather unfortunate. The incident should not have happened again.” So said Maddey on Tuesday when asked to comment on the air pollution situation in Pasir Gudang.

You’re damn right it shouldn’t have happened again! Yet, it has. And once more, it’s kids who’ve been affected the most.

At last count, more than a hundred students in the area have been treated for exposure to chemical pollution. However, despite on-going investigations that have narrowed the list of suspects and even roadblocks, we’re no closer to identifying just who is responsible for the present situation. 

The Johor government insists it did not shuffle its feet when the first reports of children suffering breathing difficulties came in last week, and that may be true. However, it doesn’t excuse the fact that there should've been more stringent enforcement, considering the Sungai Kim Kim incident. 

Look, we know Johor is massive, and policing the entire state is difficult, if not impossible. But the current pollution situation isn’t taking place in Muar, Mersing or Batu Pahat but in the VERY SAME AREA the last incident occurred! Which makes you really wonder what the heck all those people who claim to have Johor’s interest at heart are, in fact, doing.