Good morning. Here's what you need to know today.


Key Highlights

  • 'Missing' deputy minister

  • PM fights back

  • PN anniversary



‘Missing’ deputy minister

Why is Federal Territories Deputy Minister Edmund Santhara Kumar suddenly in the news?

It started with Sarawak Report highlighting that the deputy minister had been out of sight since December last year, purportedly now in New Zealand where his family resides.

This was picked up by the opposition prompting Edmund, who defected from PKR to Bersatu, to finally emerged.

Edmund wasn’t pleased and threatened legal action. He maintained that he left for New Zealand before the partial lockdown on Jan 13 and followed procedures.

Edmund said his leave was for 55 working days, approved by the prime minister, so that he can see his children and wife who he said had health problems.


HIGHLIGHTS

Defector says loyalty pledge made 'under duress'
Sebatik rep quit Warisan to back PN.
Azmin can't use sex claims against Anwar - Plaintiff
Voters suing him say it is an abuse of court process.
Home minister makes way for frontliner
Hamzah says he still has antibodies.

 



PM fights back

Prime Minister Muhyiddin isn’t sitting around while rebellious Umno leaders continue to attack him.

Muhyiddin obtained a restraining order against Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi from making further attacks against him on social media.

Previously, Muhyiddin also slashed the allocation of five Umno MPs who had been critical of him.

The context is anti-Muhyiddin and pro-Muhyiddin factions in Umno squabbling over whether BN should partner PN in GE15 or clash.

Rebel Umno MPs have been a thorn in Muhyiddin’s side and could undo his newly-regained simple majority following defections by two PKR MPs.



HIGHLIGHTS

Billionaire's ex-aide to lead 5G SPV
Digital Nasional Bhd will lead 5G rollout.
Court rejects Najib's bid to use Apandi's affidavit
This was to recuse the lead prosecutor in 1MDB case.
Pejuang goes to court again
ROS refuses to register the party.

 



PN anniversary

It’s been a year since the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government and PN’s rise. Yesterday was the one-year anniversary Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as prime minister.

It was marked by low-key prayers among ministers and a televised address. Little has changed, the message remains Covid-19 and the economy.

Flanked by senior ministers, Muhyiddin reiterated that the PN government had tried to balance between saving lives and the economy.

He again defended the state of emergency, stating that laws created under the emergency have not been geared towards keeping him in power.



HIGHLIGHTS

Fu resigns as Star Media chairperson
He wants to spend time with family.
Muhyiddin asks GLCs to consider rental waiver
This is for struggling traders.
'Economic reopening mitigated losses'
Reduced from RM2.4bil to RM300mil a day.



A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 1,828 new cases and 5 deaths yesterday (March 1).

  • New cases at the lowest level since Jan 4 while active cases of 25,542 at the lowest level since Jan 8.

  • The youngest of five deaths was a 32-year-old woman. Death toll now at 1,135.

  • For trends on daily cases, individuals tested, hospital bed capacity and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.


What else is happening?

  • Guidelines drafted to mitigate Covid-19 vaccine queue-jumping.

  • Damansara MP Tony Pua lauded the RM2.83 billion fine against Ambank for its role in the 1MDB scandal but wants Putrajaya to also go after 1MDB's auditors KPMG and Deloitte.

  • The Federal Court ruled Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar did not defame the National Feedlot Corporation for raising alleged abuse of government funds.

  • The Movement Control Order (MCO) was reimposed on a district in Sabah while several localities in Pahang saw an enhanced MCO.



HIGHLIGHTS

K'tan U-turns after outed for vaccine queue-jumping
Publicly, officials continue to deny.
Selangor free buses to charge foreigners
90 sen per trip from March 15.
BNM, MACC told to look into Zeti's alleged role
This is with regard to the 1MDB scandal

What are people saying?

Can people with allergies take Covid-19 vaccine?
By Dr Amar Singh HSS
Malaysia's lost year of opportunity?
By Bridget Welsh
'30 dalil' book on Zahid is no surprise
By Malaysiakini readers


CARTOON KINI