2017 was a year of shocks and surprises, although Malaysians, after years of watching politicians across the divide, may feel that they have seen it all. 

Politics aside, it was the news of tragedies that took the lives of the young and innocent that shook the nation and had Malaysians questioning not only authorities, but the state of society. 

The Malaysian Insight lists, by topic, what we reckon to be the defining stories of the year.

News story of the Year – Penang teen killed by bullies

In June, 18-year-old T. Nhaveen was beaten with motorcycle helmets, burned on his back and sodomised with an object by five youths after an argument. He was left for dead in a field in Bukit Gelugor, Penang. He remained in a coma for six days before dying.

Nhaveen’s friend T. Previin, 19, escaped with eye injuries and is a key witness in Nhaveen’s case, which has been classified as murder.

Police have arrested five suspects, aged between 16 and 18.

The brutality of the murder caused Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim to call for the five teenage suspects to be charged as adults.

Earlier this month, four of the boys were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the death sentence on conviction. Two suspects are underaged. 

Just as shocking was the death of Malaysian National Defence University (UPNM) cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, 21, also in June, who was tortured for two days by other cadets over a missing laptop. Five students have been charged with his death.

Both cases, as well as other reports of bullying in the news and on social media, have thrust the issue into the spotlight and the state of youth mental health.

Tragedy of the Year - Keramat tahfiz school fire

The country’s worst fire disaster in 20 years also served as a shocking example of the evil youth are capable of. Police investigations of the deadly fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school at Kampung Datuk Keramat in Kuala Lumpur, reveal that six suspects, aged between 12 and 18, allegedly used two gas cylinders and accelerant to set the place ablaze.

It was a revenge arson attack that killed 21 students and two teachers.

The principal later rebuked anguished parents for raising concerns about fire safety, saying it was not a matter that had bothered them before. 

The insensitive remarks and the lackadaisical response to the fire earned the school management as well as the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council a civil suit by the surviving families.

Most baffling death of the year - Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffi

Only 11, Thaqif had already been suffering abuse at the hands of an assistant warden at the religious school he attended in Johor. In his diary, he wrote about being punched and verbally abused and prayed that his parents and teachers would allow him to move to another school.

On April 26, Thaqif died at Sultan Ismail Hospital, but not before having both legs amputated due to a bacterial infection.

A 29-year-old assistant warden with a previous conviction for robbery, was arrested to facilitate investigations as reports emerged that he had beaten Thaqif with a rubber hose. He was later released on a RM20,000 court bond.

The school, Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Jauhar, declared the case closed after a second post-mortem revealed that Thaqif died of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that usually comes from exposure to rat urine. The boy’s parents, however, have refused to accept the results as no other infections in the school were reported.

Murder of the Year - Kim Jong-nam

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was murdered at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on the eve of Valentine’s Day, allegedly killed by two foreign women who smeared his face with VX nerve agent.

The suspects, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, are on trail for murder and hearings are set to continue next year. The duo have claimed innocence, saying they believed they were involved in a television prank show. 

Jong-nam, who died within an hour while being transported to hospital, was travelling on another passport and was on the run from Jong-un, for several years, moving between Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.

Close-circuit television cameras at klia2 recorded the two women had met several North Korean men, believed to be spies, before they “attacked” Jong-nam.

The assassination raised a diplomatic spat, with North Korea and Malaysia temporarily barring the diplomatic staff of both countries from leaving.

Malaysia would also hurriedly recall its ambassador from Pyongyang while North Korea accused Malaysia of an elaborate plot with South Korea.

Legislation of the Year - Sexual Offences against Children Act

In April, Parliament passed the landmark Sexual Offences against Children Act, which sought to protect anyone under 18 from sexual abuse.

The law criminalises adults who, for sexual purposes, touch any part of a child’s body; or make a child touch any part of their body, or that of any other person’s body. 

It will also become an offence for any adult, for sexual purposes, to utter words or sounds; or make gestures; or exhibit any part or their body, with the intention of the word or sound being heard by a child, or the gesture or body part being seen by a child.

Other key provisions in the new law include a section on extra-territorial application, in which all Malaysian children will be protected from offenders, whether the perpetrators are Malaysian or foreign.

The law can also be applied on any Malaysian who commits an offence “against a child in any place” outside the country.

To speed up trials of child sex crimes, a special court has been set up, which was launched on June 22 and the first case heard was on July 4.

There have been 13,272 statutory rape cases reported over the last seven years, with 2,089 recorded in Johor.

Statutory rapes made up 59.7% of sexual crimes committed against children.

Abductions of the Year

The mysterious abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh on February 13 in broad daylight in the middle of traffic is nowhere close to being solved as allegations of his proselytisation activities muddy the focus of investigations. The pastor’s family have accused police of being more interested in his alleged evangelism rather than solving his abduction.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has begun an inquiry to determine if it was a case of enforced disappearance that involved state authorities. Suhakam is also looking into the abductionof Perlis activist Amri Che Mat and couple Pastor Joshua Hilmy and wife Ruth.

Civil society has also raised concerns about the police’s role in the abductions and possible  torture of three Turkish men – Turgay Karaman, Ihsan Aslan and Ismet Ozcelik – in May. Police said they had not been abducted but only “arrested”. The men were deported to Turkey on grounds that they were alleged sympathisers of Fetullah Gulen, the ulama that Ankara accuses of being the mastermind of the failed coup in July last year.

Scandals of the Year

1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) still makes the headlines or is fodder at opposition ceramah, even as it manages to pay its debts. But other scandals have taken over the limelight, leaving Malaysians wondering if any convictions will be made.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) cracked down on a RM35.78 million land scandal in Johor that saw the arrest of Abd Latif Bandi, a state executive councillor who subsequently quit his post.  

The same scandal implicated Johor Menteri Besar Mohammed Khaled Nordin, who allegedly took bribes for changing the status of  Bumiputera land to non-Bumiputera. That information, however, was obtained from a leaked MACC witness statement and the anti-graft agency is demanding police action. The opposition is questioning why Khaled is not being investigated.

MACC also launched a dragnet in Sabah, investigating alleged misappropriation of federal funds from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry when former Umno minister Shafie Apdal was in charge. Now the president of opposition party Warisan, Shafie who was arrested in October for questioning, has dismissed the investigation as political assassination.

MACC also cracked down on the overpriced purchase of luxury hotels in London and Kuching by Felda subsidiary Felda Investment Corporation. (FIC). The anti-graft agency is seeking mutual legal assistance from the UK to facilitate investigations.

Former Felda chairman Isa Samad was arrested in August and remanded for five days as part of investigations.

Felda capped the year with a revelation on alleged fraud in a land ownership transfer that involved a company given the power of attorney by FIC to develop its land on Jalan Semarak. The company transferred the land, worth RM270 million, to itself without Felda earning a sen.

MACC itself isn’t free from controversy as its chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad has not cleared himself of allegations of an extramarital affair which were made in a video uploaded to YouTube. The couple was secretly filmed while on holiday in Bali. Police have investigated Dzulkifli, as it is an offence under the Penal Code to “entice a married woman”, but there has been no news on the outcome of the probe.

Political Personality of the Year - Dr Mahathir Mohamed

Though 93, the former prime minister has dominated the headlines, whether by calling Prime Minister Najib Razak a thief or taking on the role as Pakatan Harapan’s chairman.

After quitting Umno in February last year – his second time in eight years – Dr Mahathir and sacked deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin formed Bersatu.

But it was on July 14 this year, that Dr Mahathir assumed his most pivotal role since retiring from government – that of PH chairman. Thus began a flurry of ceramah tours in urban areas and Felda settlements to rattle Barisan Nasional and Umno strongholds. 

The former Umno president has brought order to PH, ensuring a proper structure, logo, decision-making process and positions.

This is a significant development as opposition parties PKR, DAP and PAS did not manage to formalise the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat coalition despite 10 years of partnership and two general elections.

But Dr Mahathir’s political resurgence in opposition to the government has reignited interest in scandals during his tenure as prime minister. Putrajaya has organised a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Bank Negara Malaysia’s forex losses during Mahathir’s administration some 30 years ago. PH cried double-standards, accusing the government of turning a blind eye to Najib’s alleged scandals through 1MDB.

With 2018 an election year, all eyes will be on Dr Mahathir to see if he will become the oldest MP in the country or the oldest prime minister in the world, if only for an interim period. 

Economic story of the Year - Malaysia beats GDP forecasts 

Malaysia’s gross domestic product growth beat forecasts despite complaints about high living costs caused by increased food and fuel prices. Inflation hit a six-month high in September at 4.3% year-on-year.

The World Bank has revised upwards Malaysia’s GDP growth forecast for this year to 5.2% from 4.9% in June, on the back of a stronger-than-expected growth of 5.7% in the first half of the year.

Originally, the World Bank had forecast Malaysia’s economy to grow by 4.3%.

But despite better economic data, monopolies, a weak ringgit, and consumption tax is expected to further push food prices above Malaysia’s inflation rate in the coming years. 

According to the Food Policy Institute (IDKM), the country’s high food prices were due to several factors, with the monopolies over food imports and supply of locally sourced fresh produce having the greatest impact.

People interviewed throughout the year by The Malaysian Insight  have consistently said that low and stagnant wages are the main reason they continue to struggle, despite rosy macro-economic figures.

Sports story of the Year - Malaysia wins 145 gold

Malaysia topped the medal standings at the 2017 SEA Games with 145 gold, 92 silver and 86 bronze medals.

With a total count of 323 medals, this is Malaysia’s best SEA Games finish.

This is the second time Malaysia have topped the Games after their first table-topping performance in 2001, when they won 111 gold, also on home soil. 

Business deal of the Year - Geely buys Proton

Loss-making national carmarker Proton was finally sold off to Chinese automaker Geely in June. 

Though Geely only has a 49.99% stake in Proton, it nevertheless represents a major coup for the Chinese company that also obtained 51% of British luxury sports car maker Lotus.

For its stake in Proton, Geely will pay DRB-Hicom RM460 million (RM170m in cash and RM290m in the transfer of Geely’s SUV platform Boyue for RM290m).

Proton was a vital step in launching Malaysia’s manufacturing drive in the 1980s, launching smaller industries to support the auto industry.

In September, Proton saw its first foreign CEO when it appointed Geely’s Dr Li Chunrong to head its operations. 

Climate change story of the year - Penang floods

In September, Penang received what was then a record amount of rainfall at 270mm, causing flash floods around the island and mainland. 

In November, a new record of 315mm of rain overnight was set, unleashing the state’s worst ever flooding, which resulted in seven deaths and caused nearly 13,000 people to evacuate their homes.

The situation was bad enough for Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to appeal to Putrajaya for help in a late-night phone call.

However, conservationists and environmental activists have long warned of flood dangers in Penang given its rapid pace of development, compounded by climate change.

In the Penang legislative assembly in November, the house was told that the state has had a total of 119 flash floods between 2013 and October, working out to a minimum of 20 incidents each year.

The state has committed to 10 flood-mitigation projects worth RM300 million that were started in the middle of this year.

Citizens’ story of the year - residents associations fight back

This year saw Kuala Lumpur residents groups in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Taman Desa, Titiwangsa and Bangsar muster their strength to fight high-rise projects that they fear will mar the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. 

TTDI has sued Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the KL mayor over a project to build eight blocks of between 42 and 54-storey high-end serviced apartments, and another 29-storey block comprising 350 units of affordable housing.

Taman Desa residents, meanwhile, are objecting to 13 proposed residential projects in their area and have gone to MACC over the sale of land, meant for utilities, to a developer to build three blocks of 34- to 42-storey condominiums. They have also sued the KL mayor over the project. – December 30, 2017.