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

Dr M like Chairman Mao

Dr Mahathir Mohamad could be aspiring to rule Malaysia via proxy, in the same manner that Chairman Mao Zedong governed the People's Republic of China, Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said.

This was after Mahathir tipped Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) pro-tem president Muhyiddin Yassin as the top pick for prime minister if the opposition wins the 14th general election, adding that the president will be advised by the party chairperson, which is himself.

However, Pakatan Harapan insists that its potential candidate for prime minister remains jailed de facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim. "As it stands, Pakatan Harapan's position is, and remains, Anwar (for prime minister)," DAP publicity chief Tony Pua told Malaysiakini.

However, with the Bersatu choice for PM, it would be back to square one for Malaysians if they oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and BN in the next general election, for while the former DPM as PM is itself ghastly news for many, it pales to the fact that he will be bound by the Bersatu framework which seems to put Mahathir in the driver's seat, again.

Selangor Malays loyal to BN

Voters in Selangor's Malay belt are still loyal supporters of BN under Najib's administration, despite being aware of the 1MDB controversies, according to the findings of a statewide survey by Selangor government think-tank, Institute Darul Ehsan (IDE).

The same survey found that while opposition parties have higher approval ratings at present, BN's ratings can increase by up to 15 percent during the election season, due to various strategies during the election period, which it claimed included "administrative changes" by the Election Commission (EC), as well as media manipulation and money politics.

Parti Amanah Negara communications director Khalid Samad said there is little hope for Harapan to retain Selangor if PAS were to engage in three-cornered fights once the EC's redelineation exercise is implemented.

Malaysia to assist 1MDB probe

Najib, who is also finance minister, said Malaysia would cooperate with the US and other international authorities investigating the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB under the the purview of the ministry, and which advisory board he headed.

A reduction on the goods and services tax (GST) rate is not on the cards in the coming budget proposal for the year 2017, Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani said, though he refused to give a straight answer if there would be any changes to other forms of taxation, such as income tax and corporate tax.

Johari also explained that the lay-offs in state petroleum company Petronas are beyond the government’s control, arguing that any firm would have to make adjustments if its revenue were to shrink significantly.

More Kinibites

Greenpeace activists yesterday blocked operations of Malaysian palm oil trader IOI at Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands, accusing it of forest destruction and child labour, but other traffic at Europe's busiest port was unaffected, a port spokesperson said.

After over a year of waiting for the Foreign Ministry to serve the amended statement of claim on convicted murderer Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who is being detained in Australia, the lawyer for Shaariibuu Setev, the father of the former police commando's victim Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, has engaged a private process server to do so.

Electoral reform coalition Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah will flag off the Bersih 5 convoy from Kota Baru on Oct 1. The seven-week convoy will also be simultaneously flagged off from five other locations in five states in the peninsula, before the various groups travel to 246 cities, towns and villages.

Looking ahead

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur will decide on the sedition charge against PKR vice-president Tian Chua for a remark he made during a forum in 2013.