A trio of wonder-ful statements
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!
Coming down hard on drink driving
If you’re in the habit of getting smashed and then getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, you’re not gonna love our lede today. The government is expected to table a bill to amend the Road Transport Act to include harsher penalties for drink driving. And, they will also lower the alcohol limit.
In other news, old man Maddey takes a swipe at the Perikatan gomen and the new Dewan Rakyat Speaker; opposition leaders take a swipe at the old man, supposedly, for a racist statement he recently made; a YouTube vlogger gets on a high horse about the Al Jazeera kerfuffle; and, schools reopen after months “off” during the MCO.
Horrifying tales of government mismanagement
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.
Muhyiddin’s majority is still slim … but it may be enough
As predicted, it was an explosive affair in Parliament on Monday. However, through the commotion one thing was clear – for now at least, PM Muhyiddin Yassin has the numbers to stay in power.
In other news, we have a new Speaker of the House, the PM promises that his Finance Minister will table the government’s stimulus packs in the Dewan Rakyat, and the Federal Court reserves judgment in Malaysiakini’s contempt case. Oh, and our active Covid-19 cases have gone up again.
Poverty threshold gets revised
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.
Get ready to rumble
Monday will finally see the first full sitting of the Dewan Rakyat and you can bet it’s going to be an explosive affair. Just what will be in store? We take a look at the expected highlights.
There’s also a battle brewing over the Perikatan move to realign the East Coast Rail Link; Barisan has drawn its battle lines with supposed partner Bersatu over seat allocations for the next election; and, we’ve had no local Covid-19 transmissions for the second day in a row.
End of a big, bad cluster
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.
Al Jazeera investigated for sedition?
The police are apparently thinking of using the Sedition Act against Al Jazeera over its documentary criticising the government for the alleged mistreatment of migrants in raids conducted during the MCO. Cos, you know, it’s seditious to say anything bad about Malaysia.
In other news, we can expect the poverty rate to go up; the OPR has been slashed for the fourth time this year for a 16-year low; our Covid-19 numbers are still low; and, despite Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar Ibrahim being declared top dogs in their coalitions, things are not as stable as they seem.
Anwar is Pakatan’s pick for PM. Yes, really!
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.
BN scores huge victory
Barisan Nasional registered a thumping win in Chini over the weekend. But what exactly does the coalition’s sixth by-election win since May 2018 mean for Malaysia?
Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, participants of the youth-led Parlimen Digital get questioned by cops, Malaysia’s Covid-19 infection rates keep on improving, and our Environment Minister says it’ll take three decades at least to solve Kelantan’s water problems.