Good morning, here's what happened over the weekend.


Key Highlights

  • Waning momentum

  • Umno infighting intensifies

  • Police 'cartel'



Waning momentum

In the past weeks, the country made good progress in the fight against Covid-19 but there are signs that momentum is waning based on data over the weekend.

The infectivity rate, which hovered at 0.87-0.88 for most of last week, rose to 0.94 over the weekend.

An infectivity rate of 0.94 means for every 100 people, they infect 94 others. It must be kept below 1.0 to prevent exponential growth in cases.

The reversal came exactly two weeks after the inter-district travel ban was lifted, although interstate travel is still not allowed.

Another indicator is active cases, which had been declining for 23 days but started to increase over the weekend.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah appealed not to let current gains go to waste by abiding by the rules, including the interstate travel ban.



HIGHLIGHTS

Parliament didn't sit for two years - minister
He refers to 1969 emergency.
MP asks why school still open after 16 Covid-19 cases
She wants govt to clarify rules for shutting schools.
Harapan: Parliament can help avoid SOP confusion
They should be thoroughly debated.




Umno infighting intensifies

Some Umno leaders dropped any pretences that all is well in the party, choosing to slug it out in the open.

Umno vice president Ismail Sabri Yaakob said party members should not be influenced by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, warning that it could split the party.

This was amid behind the scenes negotiation between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s faction and Anwar.

Meanwhile, Umno’s Ketereh MP Annuar Musa openly blamed the rift in the party on “bosses” who were not appointed into government.

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi who is aligned to Zahid, also fired a salvo, questioning why Annuar lobbied the prime minister to appoint a deputy from BN, based on a leaked letter.

The open confrontations set the table for the Umno annual general assembly this weekend.



HIGHLIGHTS

Harapan cautioned against 'naked pursuit of power'
'Any cooperation must be based on policies'.
DAP willing to work with Umno on Parliament, not GE15
DAP sec-gen wants Parliament suspension lifted.
 PKR ticked off for 'revisionist take' on Sheraton Move
DAP says it was intended to rid of Anwar.

 



Police 'cartel'

Inspector-general of police Abdul Hamid Bador’s bombshell about a “cartel” in the police force did not sit well with the government.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said it was the first time he heard about it and told Abdul Hamid to report the matter to the Police Force Commission.

The Malaysian Bar proposed a royal commission of inquiry into the matter but this was shot down by De Facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan.

Abdul Hamid was scant on details but the general claim was that a group of young police officers were collaborating to oust him so that they can get on with “dirty work”.

For the record, Abdul Hamid’s two-year contract will expire in less than two months.


HIGHLIGHTS

Suhakam calls on PN govt to accede to Icerd
Icerd previously abandoned due to protests.
Enforcers told to only issue compounds as last resort
Minister says warnings should be given first.
Can Anwar change Harapan's mind about Umno?
Analysts weigh in.

 


A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 1,327 new cases and four deaths yesterday (March 21).

  • Active cases rose marginally for the second consecutive day to 14,518.

  • New cases in Penang and Sarawak remain elevated following a recent spike.

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


What else is happening?

  • Lee Zii Jia is the new All England men's singles champion after defeating reigning champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Malaysia's last win was in 2017 when Lee Chong Wei clinched the title.

  • Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh was among the incumbents defeated in the Penang DAP election.

  • North Korean diplomats were expelled from Malaysia after Pyongyang decided to sever ties with our country.

  • Police are investigating a politician form the east coast with the title of "Datuk" who allegedly molested a businesswoman.

  • Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is on a two-day visit to Sabah.

HIGHLIGHTS

Malaysian Forestry Policy unveiled
PM says govt serious on managing forests.
Travellers to S'wak no longer need to take Covid-19 test
But 14-day quarantine still needed.
Beauty pageants, law activism go hand-in-hand for Kokila
She is featured in latest edition of Malaysianskini.

 


What are people saying?

Threats to Malaysia’s water resources
By Mohideen Abdul Kader
Why is M'sia not celebrating Anti-Racial Discrimination Day?
By Kua Kia Soong
Time to convert flat notes to good music
R Nadeswaran

 


CARTOON KINI