Sadly, a one-year-old girl is Malaysia’s youngest Covid-19 fatality. Added to our grief, we’re officially at the worst level since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores with a record-breaking tally of new infections (again) and active cases.

Meanwhile, our glorious PM Muhyiddin Yassin confirms there’ll be no MCO 2.0. However, instead of soothing our concerns, our PM riles us up with a lawak bodoh that falls so very flat; and a temporary travel ban will soon be imposed in and out of Sabah.

The government did an ace job of managing things in the early days of the pandemic. But as Malaysia’s Covid-19 numbers go up again, the feeling among the rakyat is that the powers that be are just not leading in the way they’re expected to – and worse still, refusing to take responsibility for their fumbles.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, the Higher Education Ministry cocks up by being wishy-washy, police and the MCMC probe porn chat groups, and an MP’s demise means we’ll be facing yet another by-election in Sabah.

Though the number of new Covid-19 cases dropped back down to double digits yesterday, there were cases in nearly all the states and federal territories in the country.

Meanwhile, analysts say constant political uncertainty could stunt our economic growth for the next decade; our could-soon-be PM’s called for the government to implement a more targeted loan moratorium; and, some in the hallowed halls of Putrajaya think creating an “elite” kindergarten for people with more money than others is actually a good idea.

The stage is set for a new Sabah head honcho. But even as Bersatu’s Hajiji Mohd Noor gets ready to be sworn in as chief minister, there’s a feeling discontent within Umno or elsewhere could soon result in some fellas pushing back. Hard.

In other news, Malaysia’s active Covid-19 cases surge past the 1,000 mark for the first time since mid-June; there’s much ado about a lorong in Kuala Lumpur; and Najib Razak gets a suit against his former bank thrown out.

Twenty-four hours or so after that Anwar Ibrahim announcement, the debate still continues as to whether he actually has majority support and, if so, whether the Agong will declare him our next prime minister or send us to the polls.

Meanwhile, regardless of what’s happening in Putrajaya, politicians are back to hitting the campaign trail for tomorrow’s Sabah elections. All this comes as our Covid-19 numbers are still climbing at an alarming rate, so much so that the frustrated Health DG has actually pleaded with the people to follow those damned SOPs.

Warisan leader Shafie Apdal has apologised to Malaysians for his man’s foot-in-mouth moment in saying the whole bloody Lahad Datu intrusion had been orchestrated by the former BN government. But with early voting involving security forces having taken place yesterday, was it too little, too late?

In other news, a seventh cluster has been found in Sabah while Covid-19 patients in hospitals won’t be allowed to vote in the coming polls; and, US banks have flagged Malaysia for suspicious activity which may point to us being a money-laundering haven.

While our urban centres generally enjoy great internet connectivity, in rural Malaysia, it’s a luxury. Sometimes modems have to be hoisted up flagpoles, we kid you not.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, PM Muhyiddin Yassin says snap polls may be at hand, another senior politician thinks the Muda party won’t go anywhere, and sadly, after a fortnight without any Covid-19 fatalities, we get two in the span of three days.

Welcome back and happy belated Malaysia Day, folks. We sure hope you had as wonderful a holiday as we did.

In today’s newsletter, we take another long look at the circus otherwise known as the Sabah elections with PM Muhyiddin Yassin taking the opportunity to somewhat slyly politicise Malaysia Day.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has sadly breached the 10,000 mark in terms of Covid-19 cases, no thanks to the huge surge of infections in Sabah; and, we’re treated to more juicy 1MDB tidbits concerning the offences (allegedly, allegedly) committed by former PM Najib Razak.

As many as 447 candidates will be vying for 73 seats in the Sabah state elections. But guess what? Musa Aman, the dude who was all set to wrest the chief ministership from Warisan’s Shafie Apdal just over a month ago, isn’t featuring.

In other news, Lim Guan Eng is staring at new corruption charges, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is on a mission to build his youth platform, and the country’s active Covid-19 cases have spiked to close to 600!

In a sorta shocking turn of events, Musa Aman is not among the list of candidates for BN in the impending Sabah elections, potentially throwing a spanner in the works to his plan of claiming the chief ministership for a third time.

In other news, former Moneybags Minister Lim Guan Eng will be in court tomorrow to face two more corruption-related charges; investigations into a current minister for violating home quarantine order have been completed; and, police have suggested classifying water source pollution cases where sabotage is suspected as organised crime.

Not since the Recovery Movement Control Order was announced have we seen such high numbers. Sadly, Malaysia yesterday recorded over 60 new Covid-19 cases thanks to an outbreak among inmates and staff at a lockup facility in Sabah.

Meanwhile, even as water woes continue, the family of the four brothers accused of causing the disruptions have proclaimed their innocence. But if not them, then who? Also, former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman is back in court and a deputy minister doubles down on his attack against Sabah teen-on-a-tree Veveonah.

So, the mighty United States has finally been added to the list of countries whose citizens are not allowed to enter Malaysia ’cos of Covid-19. And it’s not just the US too, as our authorities confirmed yesterday that any nation with more than 150,000 cases of infection will be on the list.

Meanwhile, a bunch of politicians said some pretty silly things yesterday, as did a top graft buster. Also, for the umpteenth time this year, residents in Selangor and Kualu Lumpur are experiencing water cuts because of river pollution.

There’s bad news for citizens of India, Indonesia and the Philippines. They won’t be allowed to enter Malaysia because of the prevalence of Covid-19 in their respective countries. And yes, that includes the non-citizen spouses of Malaysians.

In other news, PM Muhyiddin Yassin must be having a splitting headache cos Kedah, the state his party holds, will likely not be dissolving its legislative assembly if Parliament is dissolved in the near future.

We’ve also had a third Covid-19 death in four days; PAS is continuing to behave like a donkey with a brain injury; and, M. Indira Gandhi will finally get to meet our nation’s top cop over the daughter who has been missing for 11 years.

Pakatan Harapan and Lim Guan Eng have fired back at the Perikatan Nasional government over the 101 direct negotiation contracts the former signed during its 22-month tenure in Putrajaya. And what a broadside it was, as only a small percentage of the contracts appear to have actually been “new”.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Reform Committee has submitted its final report to PM Muhyiddin Yassin with 49 recommendations that will hopefully see the light of day soon, Perikatan is set to be officially launched on Monday, and the number of active Covid-19 cases has dropped.

The government is looking at amending a law so that drug addicts are sent to rehabilitation centres and not prison. If it goes through, it could help mitigate the problem of overcrowding in prisons, save our tax money and put us on the path to taking a more humane approach to the handling the issue of drug addiction.

In other news, the bankruptcy threshold has been doubled, a fantastic move considering the problems we’re having with money thanks to the current pandemic; investigations have been launched into a former minister and the 101 direct negotiation deals the Pakatan gomen signed; foreigners will soon be allowed to attend mosques; and, our beloved supreme leader is said to be about to launch the country’s “newest” coalition in Sabah.

Buoyed by the membership of Azmin Ali and his ex-PKR buddies, Bersatu is considering affording its associate non-Bumiputera members larger slices of the political pie. The big question though is whether the party’s potential metamorphosis from Umno 2.0 to PKR 2.0 will hurt or help it.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Malaysians are up in arms over a Cabinet Covidiot’s paltry fine for breaching quarantine rules, a deputy minister finds himself in hot water for trying to get his son a cushy boardroom job, and the Health Ministry wants the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) extended beyond Aug 31.

A prominent opposition politician is facing more allegations of a sexual nature (read: sodomy) and our top cop has said what we’re all thinking – that he is just sick of it all and it’s a waste of police resources.

In other news, there’s political trouble brewing in Sabah thanks to the decision to let a certain politician with a corruption case hanging over his head run the show for BN there; there’s hope yet that we may see an anti-party frogging law in the land; and, the gomen has done it again by allowing sports and co-curriculum activities in schools without first telling us what the damned SOPs will be.

Btw, tomorrow is Awal Muharram and we’d just like to wish all our Muslim friends a happy new year. And as always, a public holiday means we give ourselves a day off. See you on Friday!

A mutated strain of coronavirus has been detected in Malaysia, and it’s 10 times more infectious than the version that originally hit us. Worse, the Covid-19 infection rate’s steadily rising.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Bersatu joins Muafakat Nasional, a three-way contest looms in Slim, and a dude who was filmed trying to offer favours in exchange for votes gets elected Bersatu youth chief.

Just how does a man with an expired passport, on the run with a child without any documentation, manage to run to another country despite there being a warrant out for his arrest? That’s what M. Indira Gandhi is asking. Remember her?

In other news, we’ve finally found out the intended name of a former PM-twice-over’s new party; we find out the names of two of the candidates for the upcoming Slim by-election; and, a certain CM-turned-interim CM is doing what can only be deemed downright unethical in his bid to keep power. Plus other news, of course.

DAP’s Lim Guan Eng got slapped with another corruption accusation on Monday. But unlike the first case, this time around, there’s a figure – RM3.3 million – attached to the charge.

In other news, ex-attorney general Tommy Thomas is once more blamed for letting Riza Aziz off the hook, Covid-19 cases increase thanks to festive visiting, a Bersatu leader gets slammed for soliciting votes, and a former minister tells his former chief minister half-bro that it’s time for the latter to bid adieu.

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng was arrested by our graft busters last night over investigations into the Penang Undersea Tunnel project which he initiated during his tenure as CM of the northern state. Also, LGE could be in trouble (again) for that bungalow he purchased in Penang a few years ago.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, we talk about money matters in terms of our national debt and what’s needed to help us survive the Covid-19 pandemic; how local government elections won’t be seen anytime soon, despite one minister still advocating for them; the shenanigans in Parliament over 1MDB; and, lots of other things, including a suit against the Sabah governor by a certain Mighty Moses.

Disgraced former big kahuna Najib Razak is at it again. That he’s claiming innocence in his many court cases is no shocker, but he’s now saying he is being punished for being a man of charity. There’s a problem with this though – read on to find out what.

In other news, our coppers are recommending a new inquest into the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s death, as though one wasn’t enough; the authorities have raided the offices of Al Jazeera as well as local entities Astro and Unifi TV; there’s more about political kataks; and, we’ve recorded only one daily Covid-19 case for only the second time since July 1.

Twenty cases of Covid-19 infection have been linked to a home quarantine breaker in Kubang Pasu. And now, targeted movement curbs are being enforced in four Kedah localities.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Sabah Umno and its allies quarrel over seat allocations for the upcoming state polls, Umno refuses to be a part of formalised Perikatan Nasional, and Lim Guan Eng asks more legit questions about that Goldman deal.

Yesterday was a historic day as, for the first time in our relatively short history as a nation, a former prime minister was convicted of criminal offences. As such, almost the entirety of today’s newsletter is devoted to one Najib Razak, his SRC International trial and reactions to it.

By the way, if you want some comprehensive (if we do say so ourselves) background and context to the trial – and in case you missed it – you can read our newsletter yesterday, here, before heading into what happened.

After almost two years of parleying, we’ve finally got a commitment from Goldman Sachs to shell out as much as US$3.9 billion over its role in the 1MDB fiasco. But as massive as that amount may seem, the big question is – are we getting shortchanged?

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, the cops get ready to move in on Covidiots, our Comms Minister issues another statement on filming licences, and Anwar Ibrahim still isn’t done talking about frenemy Mahathir Mohamad.

A statement from a Perikatan MP that Malaysia was “Tanah Melayu” has, predictably, rankled people from East Malaysia, with Sabah’s No. 2 man saying yesterday that the statement was dangerous and, also, just incorrect.

In other news, a DAP MP has proven government MPs wrong by providing proof that his illustrious father has once played an audio recording in the Dewan Rakyat; the war of insults between two former PMs continues; and, two new clusters have been identified as the number of active Covid-19 cases continue to climb.

Malaysia’s Covid-19 numbers are getting worrying again, and PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government is now mulling making it compulsory for masks to be worn in public.

In other news, recognition of the United Examination Certificate’s become an issue again, certain GLC heads claim they ain’t making as much dough as rumoured, and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Art Harun’s actions get scrutinised again.

It was an odd day yesterday – there were a lot of interesting little nuggets of news, but not really one huge main headline or overarching story. The closest we have is probably the Election Commission’s announcement that it is hot to trot for early polls.

But the winner of place of pride in our lead story section goes to Najib Razak, Hishammuddin Hussein and Abdul Hamid Bador for their statements which left quite a few people scratching their heads.

Oh, and the Health Ministry is mulling making it mandatory for those returning from high-risk Covid-19 countries to be placed in quarantine centres. All these and more in your Friday edition of BTL. Read on for the deets!

The Auditor-General’s Report has again given us an insight into just how efficient our government ministries, departments and agencies are (sarcasm mode fully on). Released in Parliament yesterday, the report includes a passage that details that nearly 1,000 our roads may be ticking time bombs.

In other news, an MP has retracted an offensive remark made in the Dewan Rakyat but is still being lambasted for it (and rightly so); the opposition is still pissed about the appointment of the new Speaker of the House; there may be a new political party soon; and, we’re back to having no local transmissions of Covid-19.

Malaysia’s poverty benchmark gets a much-needed revision. But does the new estimate mean we’re no longer poor?

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, the transgender community warns of hate and violence following a minister’s remark, PM Muhyiddin Yassin gets ready to test his support in the Dewan Rakyat, and we register our first Covid-19 death in over three weeks.

There was good news all round yesterday as the country’s largest cluster of Covid-19 infections was declared closed after four very long months, while for the second time in a week, there were no local transmissions.

In other news, universities and colleges will begin reopening this month, an Umno vet (not the animal doctor kinda vet) has made an unusual suggestion about PM Muhyiddin Yassin and there were contrasting (terribly so) news about the two biggest national airlines.

After weeks of squabbling, Pakatan Harapan’s finally given Anwar Ibrahim the backing as its PM candidate. It’s anyone’s guess though if this is all a show and more importantly, what Dr Mahathir Mohamad thinks about the latest turn of events.

In other news, Al Jazeera is being probed over a report on the treatment of migrants in Malaysia during the Movement Control Order (MCO), only one active case remains from the Seri Petaling Tabligh cluster, and taps are set to go dry in 290 areas in the Klang Valley.

While Pakatan Harapan Plus remains a house divided (three ways, no less), Perikatan Nasional is showing the country that their yet-to-even-be-formalised coalition is as united as conjoined twins.

In other reports, a news portal has failed in its bid to have contempt proceedings against it thrown out; and, the number of active Covid-19 cases has dropped to just double digits for the first time in what seems like forever.

PM Muhyiddin Yassin is said to prefer an outsider to be the next Dewan Rakyat Speaker, with one surprising name in particular believed to be the top choice for the position.

In other news, we’re still no closer to finding out just which of three old men – a sexagenarian, a septuagenarian and a nonagenarian – will be Pakatan Harapan Plus’s choice as PM candidate; the nation’s unemployment rate has gone up like some people’s blood pressure; and, the snail’s pace of a certain former PM’s trial could see it drag on for another year.

A third name’s been put forth as a potential Opposition PM candidate. But is Shafie Apdal truly a contender? Or is his entry into the race just another attempt by Dr Mahathir Mohamad to screw frenemy Anwar Ibrahim over?

In other news, two motions, one of which is aimed at testing PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s support in the Dewan Rakyat, get submitted to Parliament; the Education Ministry fixes new dates for the SPM and STPM exams, and a GE13 candidate is arrested over the kidnapping and murder of a “Datuk Seri” businessman.

The country could possibly hit its debt ceiling by the end of the year, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, and it’s not good news for us. Just how will we be affected?

Meanwhile, schools reopened for upper secondary students yesterday, with the Health Ministry saying it will work with the Education Ministry to decide if students at other levels can return, and when; and, PKR prefers to have snap elections called rather than support a certain former PM’s motion of no confidence against the current PM.

July 1. That’s the day you’ll be allowed to take in a film and/or enjoy a cool dip in the pool. But what else can we expect from Malaysia’s soft reopening?

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, more cases of Covid-19 infections are recorded in Pedas, PKR orders its reps to keep their views to themselves, and the thorny issue of a 27-year-old constitutional amendment is dredged up.

It’s just a small matter, concerning who should be the Grand Poobah of Pakatan Harapan Plus. But the impasse (or should we say argument) over whether it should be a a septuagenarian or a nonagenarian is now threatening to send the coalition the way of ancient ancestors of men.

In other news, the current PM (and his buddies) has filed an application to strike out a suit by a former PM (and his buddies); a certain Boy Wonder is claiming to be the latest victim of a purported government crackdown on dissent; another person is being investigated for a statement not made by her; and, two Indonesians are on the lose and feared to be spreading Covid-19 among people in Sarawak.

What appears to be a government crackdown on dissent continues as a DAP MP is investigated for merely “asking a question”, while a news organisation is in trouble for allowing certain comments on one of its articles.

In other news, our great leaders in Pakatan Harapan Plus are still at an impasse as to whether it should be an old man or a much older man who should lead them to glory; we could be in even more trouble in terms of unemployment by the end of the year; and, a former top civil servant says another top civil servant wasn’t pressured to do something bad, even though the latter had earlier said otherwise.

Don’t look now, but according to the rumour mill, PM Muhyiddin Yassin is gearing up for a snap general election to cement his government’s authority. Yes, folks, that means GE15!

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Anwar Ibrahim talks himself up once again while simultaneously bashing Dr Mahathir Mohamad, ex-AG Apandi Ali sounds like he’s talking through his backside, former radio personality Patrick Teoh faces up to a year in jail for allegedly insulting the Johor Crown Prince, and we say goodbye to the Health D-G and Defence Minister’s daily press briefings.

It’s back to school later this month for students due to sit for upper level exams, after a three-month hiatus thanks to Covid-19. But there’s still no word about when the rest of our whippersnappers will be following suit.

In other news, our Covid-19 numbers increased by just two (yay); a bunch of NGOs are calling for our PM, our former PM and our would-be PM to work together for political stability (yeah, right); and, a former attorney-general decides to open his mouth and defend a former PM while “accusing” another ex-PM of conspiracy. That’s a lot of exes, no?

From Wednesday, June 10, Malaysia will officially be under recovery movement control. What this means is that between now and Aug 31, we will slowly be making our way back to normalcy. Or some version of it anyway.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, we look at what the RMCO means for Parliamentary democracy, whether the Penjana stimulus package is all it’s cracked up to be, and what the hell is gonna happen to all the data we’ve given up over the last three months to kononnya keep that darn coronavirus at bay.

So, a sultan has threatened to dissolve his state’s legislative assembly if there was another power struggle there, and has come under criticism as he doesn’t really have the power to decide that. No prizes for guessing which sultan this is, but let’s just say it’s not the first time he or some member of his royal family have overstepped their authority.

Meanwhile, Umno is being accused (now why does that sound familiar?) of wanting to put former PM Najib Razak back in power; our Covid-19 numbers are back in the high double digits; and, the prosecution in Najib’s SRC International trial is now taking its turn at oral submissions.

Make no mistake. Drink driving is a serious issue that requires a serious solution. The question is though: are the fellas in power really serious about solving the problem or is the production, sale and consumption of alcohol once more, being used to score racial and religious brownie points?

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, the Muhyiddin-Mahathir fallout continues, a beauty queen makes a pretty ugly racist boo-boo on social media, and Malaysians look forward to the current movement curbs being relaxed further.

The controversy over the government’s handling of Covid-19 infections among undocumented migrants continued yesterday, even as a senior minister defended it by saying those infected were brought to a “beautiful place” to be treated.

In other news, our daily Covid-19 infections have hit a new low; politicians from across the divide are in rare solidarity in condemning online harassment against two DAP Selangor reps; and, Pakatan is keeping mum about their choice of PM candidate, despite the fact everybody knows who it is.

There’s good news and bad news as far as Covid-19 is concerned. While 13 clusters have ended, another has made an appearance, this time among undocumented foreigners.

Meanwhile, the pregnant woman who traveled from the Ampang red zone to “green” Kelantan before testing positive for Covid-19 was allowed to do so for reasons that beggar belief.

In other news, the rift in Bersatu is getting bigger, with the party’s Youth wing now siding with its chairman and calling for party polls to happen soon; and, we learnt what “Project PITA” in 1MDB stood for (and it ain’t polite, shall we say).

And finally, folks – it’s gonna be a long weekend, with the Aidilfitri holidays falling on Monday and Tuesday. It’ll be a weird one this year, with us not being able to visit our Muslim friends and gorge on rendang and lemang. We hope you take care, social distance and stay safe. Between The Lines will be back in your mailbox on Wednesday.

Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir dan batin!

We were served up quite a bit of a surprise yesterday when we learned that a certain Malaysian Hollywood film producer may testify against his (in)famous stepfather. Could this be part of the deal which saw money laundering charges against said producer dropped?

In other news, the Jibster’s 1MDB corruption trial finally resumes after a long break; our dear old Bapa Pemodenan Malaysia, it seems, is not officially the chairman of Bersatu; and yet more audio clips regarding Bersatu and its decision to leave Pakatan Harapan have surfaced.

Last but not least, abang police or tentera may come knocking on your door during the upcoming Raya holidays if you have many vehicles parked outside your home.

For our main story today, we take a look at the curious case of Riza Aziz’s discharge from his money laundering case. Ex-AG Tommy Thomas is catching flak for Riza being let off the hook. Thing is, he was no longer A-G when the decision to drop the charges against Jibby Razak’s stepson was made!

In other news, Mukhriz Mahathir finally exits the Kedah Menteri Besar’s office, Perikatan Nasional’s top six ink an MoU, and the Health Ministry worries that interstate travel may see Covid-19 infection rates spike.

It’s the end of the road – for now at least – for Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hopes of initiating a Parliamentary vote of no confidence against PM Muhyiddin Yassin. This after it was made known that the so-called Parliament session on May 18 will only see the King deliver his opening address and nothing more.

In other news, Muhyiddin is facing criticism for making the decision for Bersatu to leave Pakatan without the consent of the party’s supreme council; Mahathir’s son Mukhriz remains defiant that he is still Kedah MB despite the fact that 23 of his assemblymen have apparently signed SDs stating they aren’t confident in his leadership; Malaysians can only go Raya visiting on the first day of Aidilfitri and another minister is in trouble for allegedly violating the MCO.

So it turns out that the 20-people-at-a-time Hari Raya visiting rule is just a guide. The question is though, 20, 10 or five, how the heck is the government gonna police this?

In other news, parents might soon be barred from taking their kids to malls and other public places, the Health Minister claims innocence in a graft probe, and down in Melaka, one state legislative assembly speaker gets exchanged for another.