THE curtain comes down on a year that greatly impacted Malaysians. 

Among the events that left an indelible mark on us was the general election that resulted in an outcome where bitter rivals Umno, DAP and GPS from Sarawak had to put aside their differences to form a unity government. Anwar Ibrahim also finally realised his dream of becoming the country’s 10th premier. 

The nation witnessed the incarceration of former prime minister Najib Razak for his role in the 1MDB saga while his wife was convicted of bribery in another case. 

A comedy club got shut down after a Muslim participant riled authorities with her striptease act while Malaysians were left baffled by the report of a botched Mossad kidnapping in the country.  

Without further ado, here are the 10 news stories of 2022 that mattered the most to us.  

1. Crackhouse Comedy Club controversy   

The live entertainment outlet caused an uproar after one of its amateur stand-up comedians decided to do a minor striptease.  

The female Muslim performer told her audience that she used to attend a religious school and had memorised the Quran before removing her hijab and baju kurung to reveal a blouse and mini skirt.  

News of this went viral and was investigated by religious authorities as well as the police, resulting in the shutdown of the comedy club by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). 

The then Deputy Federal Territories Minister Jalaluddin Alias said DBKL’s move sent a strong message that the ministry and City Hall would not tolerate behaviour disrespectful of religion, race, or sovereignty. 

2. Botched Mossad mission 

A local news outlet published a report claiming that a group of locally trained Mossad agents were behind the botched abduction of a Palestinian man. 

The suspects — 10 men and a woman — were charged at the Magistrate’s Court in Kuala Lumpur for kidnapping Omar Z. M. Albelbaisy to obtain information about software used to hack mobile phones. 

Kuala Lumpur police played down the alleged involvement of the Israeli spy agency in the matter. 

3. Rosmah Mansor convicted 

The flamboyant Malaysian ex-first lady was found guilty on September 1 of three corruption charges involving a RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak. 

High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt to rebut the prosecution’s case. 

Rosmah could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined five times the amount received or solicited under Section 24(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009. 

4. Najib Razak incarcerated 

Former prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty of corruption and sent to Kajang Prison on August 23 after the Federal Court quashed his appeal and upheld his sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case. 

The apex court ordered him to start his 12-year jail sentence immediately.  

In addition to that, he would have to pay a RM210 million fine.  

5. Pakatan Harapan (PH) wins 82 parliamentary seats in GE15 

After losing Putrajaya due to the infamous Sheraton Move in 2020, the coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim emerged victorious in the general election, winning the lion’s share of 82 seats, while Perikatan Nasional (PN) secured 73 seats and Barisan Nasional (BN) only managed to gain 30.  

However, PH could not form a government without seeking cooperation from BN, and PN had made it clear that it was not open to working with Anwar and DAP. 

The turmoil lasted for almost a week and was resolved after the Agong ordered all political parties to set aside their differences and form a unity government. 

Only BN decided to accept the King’s offer to cooperate with PH. PN decided to become the opposition, ending the standoff.   

6. Anwar Ibrahim becomes the 10th prime minister 

Once favoured by Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be his successor, Anwar could have become the country’s fifth premier if not for a dispute between him and Dr Mahathir in 1998. 

He was convicted and jailed on corruption charges but was also accused of being a homosexual not once but twice in his political career — a crime punishable under Malaysian law. 

Anwar was sworn in on November 24 after receiving the support from Umno, GRS, GPS, and Warisan. 

7. Unity government  

For the first time in Malaysia’s history, PH, BN and parties from Sabah and Sarawak combined to form the federal administration. 

BN decided to cooperate with its longtime rival PH following a decree from the palace after a hung parliament put the country in a leadership crisis.  

The Muhyiddin Yassin-led PN had earlier claimed to have the numbers to form a government, but BN chairman Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi put an end to their bid for power by denying that Umno lawmakers backed the Pagoh MP.  

8. Batang Kali landslide tragedy 

One of the worst landslides in the country saw the death of 31 people, including children, killed in the tragedy that occurred at the Father’s Organic Farm in Gohtong Jaya on December 16. 

Sixty-one people were rescued out of a total of 92 victims. 

The search and rescue team was made up of 250 people from the police, army, Fire and Rescue Department, Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, and civil defence force. 

The body of the last missing person was recovered on December 24, the ninth day of the rescue mission.   

9. Lifting of Covid-19 restrictions 

After almost two and half years of being subjected to a variety of Covid-19 protocols, Putrajaya removed virtually all of them. Although Malaysians continued to don the mask in crowded places, the country is almost back to the way things were before the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.   

10.  Football legend Pelé dies at 82 

The world mourned the passing of Brazilian football icon Pele at the age of 82 on December 30. 

A hospital statement confirmed the death of “our dear King of Football” at 3.27pm local time, “due to the failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of cancer associated with his previous clinical condition.” 

Nicknamed the “Black Pearl”, Pelé was one of only three players to have scored in four World Cups. In 1,363 games, he scored 1,281 goals — at the time of his retirement in 1977, more than twice as many as his nearest challenger. – December 31, 2022.