KINI ROUNDUP Here are the key headlines from yesterday you may have missed, in brief.

EPU minister goes after businesses that back Bersih

Minister in charge of the Economic Planning Unit Abdul Rahman Dahlan said he will run background checks on businesses that seek government contracts, to ensure these firms do not support Bersih, claiming that the electoral watchdog sabotages the economy.

This after Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia urged the government to blacklist Bersih's sponsors.

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah instead urged Rahman to first ensure fair elections, good governance and combat corruption before going after Bersih.

Rizal Mansor, the aide to prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor, questioned how Bersih can champion good governance but maintain ties with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who has chosen to remain in office despite facing corruption charges in court.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said Bersih knows that elections in Malaysia are fair, but will not admit this until the opposition takes Putrajaya.

In Penang, about 50 men in red shirts held a counter-gathering, heckling a Bersih event across the road, as the Bersih 5 convoy passed through the northern state.

Missing multi-billion projects in Najib's political budget

A word analysis of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's budget speeches found that he is increasingly using the platform to make political speeches, instead of tabling policies.

PAS said the government's projected revenue is questionable as it expected higher tax revenue, without taking into account the likelihood of lower oil prices, currency devaluations cutting into corporate profits and retrenchments.

DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the expenditure report is also lacking, with multi-billion ringgit projects not reflected and done off-budget.

However, economists said Pakatan Harapan's alternative budget opted for populist policies and shied away from making drastic slashes to government expenditure.

Other Kinibites

Malaysian athletes shine on the international stage with diver Wendy Ng winning the gold medal in the diving World Grand Prix, while Malaysian teams win the top two prizes in an international dodgeball competition.

While sharing an infographic on benefits for civil servants in Budget 2017 on Twitter, Jasa strategic communications director Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said civil servants who do not support the government should resign.

Selangor government accused Umno/BN of sabotaging the state's water source, forcing the closure of the Selangor treatment plant and water cuts in the state, in a bid to regain power.

Looking ahead

Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes with debate on Budget 2017. Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong is due to speak in the special chamber, on leak of information on the Scorpene submarine.

Umno longest-serving MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will launch the book 'End of Umno? Essays on Malaysia's Dominant Party',

Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will express their condolences over the death of the Thai King, at the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.