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Key Highlights

• More pushback against Zahid
  
  

• Vaccine hoarding
  
  

• Tasik Chini
  
  

More pushback against Zahid

Two days after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave the PN government a 14-day ultimatum to convene Parliament, an opposing faction went public in their pushback.

Umno’s Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz (above) admitted that he was the person organising BN MPs to pledge support for former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein.

Nazri claimed 25 out of 42 BN MP have lost confidence in Zahid and want Hishammuddin to speak on their behalf. The move was intended to throw a spanner in the works for Zahid’s plan.

Zahid’s ultimatum, which he framed as a matter of loyalty to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, was seen as a means to create a reason to take Umno out of the PN government.

After which, Zahid had been speculated to be working out a deal with PKR for a new government.

The rulers have asked for Parliament to be convened as soon as possible but the government only plans to do so in September, at the earliest.

Forces opposed to Zahid are signalling that there would be fierce resistance if he pulls the trigger.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Umno doesn't need Anwar anymore - Nazri 'It's about Umno's survival.'
	'BN MPs' will not back no-confidence vote 'BN MPs will back the govt's recovery plan.'
	Aug 24 to hear PM’s bid to strike out emergency suit Khairuddin is challenging the emergency.

Vaccine hoarding

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s criticism of the European Union for "hoarding" Covid-19 vaccines prompted a response from EU Ambassador to Malaysia Michalis Rokas.

The ambassador said the EU had approved the export of five million Covid-19 vaccines to Malaysia, with four million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines delivered.

However, the delivered amount is only 10.8 percent of the 44.8 million Pfizer-BionTech doses Malaysia had ordered.

All delivered doses have already been administered.

Khairy also responded to criticism that he was making excuses, citing comments by the World Health Organization which pointed out that only 10 countries accounted for 75 percent of the world’s Covid-19 vaccines that were administered.

Doubling down, Khairy urged the World Bank to be a strong voice for global vaccine equity for developing countries.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Some Johor vaccine centres facing shortages This comes despite the record national vaccination.
	Sultan Ibrahim disappointed with slow vaccination Only 10pct of the Johor population has been vaccinated.
	A third of seniors still waiting for Covid-19 vaccines Appointments are expected in two weeks.

Tasik Chini

The planned forest reserve at Tasik Chini has been revised to exclude a royalty-linked mining site. This allows the mining site, 3km away from the environmentally sensitive Tasik Chini, to continue operating.

An environmental group urged the Pahang government to include the site as part of the forest reserve as the mining operations could affect the lake.

Malaysiakini first highlighted the mining site on June 3, which was seeking to commence operations.

This was despite the Pahang government touting its efforts to rehabilitate the area, which had deteriorated from logging and mining.

Subsequently, Pahang regent Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah visited the area and called for the mining activities to cease. He also called for the proposed forest reserve area to be expanded.

Environmentalists are now pushing the Pahang government to abide by the decree.

HIGHLIGHTS

	MMA demands probe on ‘private’ Covid-19 vaccine sales Two doses allegedly sold for RM400.
	Man held over death threats to a woman The woman had expressed support for Ain Husniza.
	Activist Aiman Hakim released He was probed for sedition.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 5,244 new cases yesterday (June 23).
  
  
• New cases in Selangor climbed back above 2,000 for the first time in four days.
  
  
• Active cases declined from 71,625 to 60,816 in the last 10 days. The number of Covid-19 patients in the Intensive Care Units also declined from 921 to 879.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• Pakatan Harapan said it is prepared to join the government's committee to study the reconvening of Parliament on condition that it did not lead to any delays to the sitting.
  
  
• The Johor State Assembly became the second legislature after Perlis to set a date to reconvene their sitting. Most state legislatures are expected to convene in August, except for the PAS-led states, which have indicated they will wait until after Parliament convenes.
  
  
• Aker Solutions, Norway's largest oil services firm, lodged a police report over text messages alleging that it was involved in judicial fixing in Malaysia. Opposition MPs urged the govt not to brush off the issue.
  
  
• The World Bank revised down Malaysia's projected gross domestic product (GDP) growth from 6.0 percent to 4.5 percent.
  
  
• The Higher Education Ministry denied rejecting a student's application to pursue tertiary education because of her disability, despite a message informing her that her disability was the issue.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Excluding students with disabilities an 'injustice' - Maszlee He said there was previously a special channel for the disabled.
	Man detained for feeding beer to five-month-old baby A video of the incident went viral.
	Worker killed by flying debris from a burst tyre The tyre of a crane burst while it was being changed.

What are people saying?

	How soon is soon? By Thor Kah Hoong
	Covid-19 devastation - open letter to all MPs By Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo
	Practice of medicine should not be pressured by popular vote By Moy Foong Ming

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