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

The Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday was briefly delayed after the lunch break, when fewer than the minimum 26 MPs required for the quorum returned from their breaks.

Former minister Rais Yatim said these “lazy” MPs ought to be named and shamed and have their monthly allowances slashed.

However, Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham said Pakatan Harapan MPs were not away at their lunches and were instead having a meeting, and they rushed back into Parliament immediately upon hearing the bell ring.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub agreed with the suggestion that lazy MPs ought to be named and shamed and have their allowances slashed, but only if they have no strong reasons for their absence.

Unease over Council of Eminent Persons

Singapore’s Straits Times reported that Harapan leaders are tussling with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) on the future direction of the country.

Meanwhile in parliament, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar also expressed concerns about the CEP, describing it as an “unelected and unaccountable” body that has overstepped its advisory role.

Other Kinibites

The remains of the late Balakong assemblyperson Eddie Ng Tien Chee has been cremated. He was 40, and was killed in a road accident last Friday.

Perlis Special Branch officer Mohd Shamzaini Mohd Daud denied having told missing activist Amri Che Mat’s wife Norhayati Ariffin that the police had kidnapped her husband, and said he is willing to swear upon the Quran that he was telling the truth.

S Nimalan, who is accused of murdering deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais, claims that not only the prison guards but even his own lawyers told him to plead guilty to the murder charge.

In the first of a six-part analysis, two academicians Lim Mah Hui and Ahmad Hilmy dissect the history of the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan.

Looking ahead

The Kevin Morais murder trial enters its 15th day today.

The cabinet will be holding its weekly meeting this afternoon, meaning that many ministers will not be attending proceedings of the Dewan Rakyat. Cabinet meetings will be held on Fridays instead, from next week onwards. Parliament does not sit on Fridays.

Rural Development Minister Rina Mohd Harun will be speaking as a panellist at a forum to be held at Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Shah Alam campus.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo will attend the screening of the documentary “Incarcerated Rhythm” at night, together with its director Indrani Kopal.