Is GE15 around the corner?
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.
Social distancing be damned
The government has decided to allow public transportation, express buses and flights to operate at full capacity, meaning social distancing is out the door. But don’t worry folks, apparently the MySejahtera app is going to save us all from another wave of Covid-19 infections. Right.
In other news, we’ve decided not to send anyone to Saudi Arabia for the haj season; our daily Covid-19 numbers are back in the double-digit realm; and, a certain would-be PM is still not giving up on his dream.
The end of school holidays
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?
Musa Aman is a free man
Another person linked to former PM Najib Razak has seen money laundering and corruption charges against him dropped. But unlike previously, there’s not even the slimmest chance of ex-Sabah CM Musa Aman being re-charged.
In other news, the government appears to be quelling dissent via a much-maligned section of the Communications and Multimedia Act, Malaysia records a mere seven cases of Covid-19 infection for the second day in a row, and the Opposition may finally have settled on a PM candidate. Or not.
No more duduk rumah from Wednesday
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.
Life, And Hari Raya, In The Age Of Covid-19
Some took a hit while others fared better than most. But the past couple of months have showcased the resilience of Malaysians in facing this crisis and rising above it.
Bersatu they stand, divided they fall?
It was an explosive affair last night when the Bersatu supreme council met for the first time minus now “sacked” chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Four council members who are supporters of the former chairman staged a walkout and declared the meeting, Maddey’s sacking and the Perikatan Nasional pact not valid.
In other news, a Bersatu deputy minister resigned and then went to meet Maddey; Covid-19 guidelines for schools when they eventually reopen are out; there was a massive spike in new coronavirus cases; and, the penultimate day of oral submissions for Najib Razak’s SRC International corruption trial saw more sparring between prosecution and defence.
Also, it feels like there’s a public holiday every week these days, which must be fate’s cruel sense of humour, since we can’t actually go anywhere and take advantage of the break. Anyway, next Monday is a public hol as it’s the Agong’s official birthday. Enjoy the long weekend and see you again on Tuesday! Oh, btw, we’ve got one of our special reports coming out this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for that. 🙂
Has the Johor sultan overstepped his authority again?
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.
Raya visiting fears proven right
A new cluster of Covid-19 infections has confirmed what we all feared: that the government allowing Hari Raya visits would lead to more people testing positive for that pesky little virus. Thankfully, we’re still in the double-digit realm, though whether more people have been infected by the Raya visits remains to be seen.
In other news, the mess that is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia seems to be getting worse; lawyers for a certain former PM’s continue to slam prosecutors at his SRC International corruption trial; the federal government has pulled the plug on funding for a project in Penang, much to the delight of environmentalists; and, the debate over drink driving continues.
We need serious drink driving laws … not stupid ass remarks
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.