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

Zaid Ibrahim joins DAP

Former minister Zaid Ibrahim announced that he has joined DAP during a press conference at his home yesterday, accompanied by DAP acting chairperson Tan Kok Wai, its parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Lim hoped that the party newcomer can learn to be a team player and not be a prima donna, though he said he has known Zaid for a long time, describing him as a believer in truthful and honest politics.

Convincing the Malays

The opposition must do more to convince the Malay majority of its sincerity, if it wants to save the country. As its current strategy in approaching the community does not seem to be working and has failed to inspire confidence in its credibility as an alternative to the present government.

This was mooted at a roundtable discussion where some 50 top opposition and civil society leaders signed the ‘Save Malaysia’ initiative, spearheaded by Lim.

Annuar to face Mara auditors

Suspended Mara chairperson Annuar Musa has been summoned to face the federal agency’s internal audit committee at its meeting to be held today.

In an unrelated development, Annuar, who is also Umno information chief, said he decided to run for the presidency of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) out of concern that no other individual would do so.

He also made his first appearance at United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) to have a better understanding on Chinese education and the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) yesterday, where he joked that the purpose of his visit was to gain votes from the Chinese community.

More Kinibites

The Kelantan Forestry Department has denied allegations that it burnt down huts built by the Orang Asli community at blockades set up at the logging route in the Balah Permanent Forest Reserve in an operation at Gua Musang on Monday.

Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza’s clown-faced caricatures of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak have earned him a freedom of expression award nomination by a UK-based non-profit organisation that campaigns against censorship worldwide.

The government’s exposure through 1MDB involved only the paid-up capital, which meant that the BMF scandal in the 1980s during the Mahathir-administration is worse, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Keruak.

Looking ahead

Today, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will be hearing cartoonist Zunar’s judicial review application, to challenge a travel ban imposed on him by the Immigration Department