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Key Highlights

• Humiliating period checks
  
  
• Agong to meet anti-emergency group
  
  
• Spending future funds
  
  

Humiliating period checks

More than a dozen women came forward to share stories of humiliating menstrual period spot checks in certain schools, a decades-long practice that is rarely discussed in public.

Muslim women do not perform prayers when they are menstruating. Some teachers and wardens, believing that students may use it as an excuse to skip prayers, device various means of checks, including a pat-down of the groin.

Prominent leaders from the religious and medical fields criticised the move as excessive. Ex-deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching asked the government to respond.

Former ministers Rafidah Aziz and Azalina Othman Said expressed shock and want the government to put an end to such practice.

Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairperson Azizah Mohd Dun, who oversees several boarding schools where the practice purportedly takes place, said she was opposed to them and would review the complaints.

HIGHLIGHTS

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	DAP man: Chin Tong 'willingly' fooled by Muhyiddin Friendly fire in DAP intensifies ahead of party polls.
	'Racialised Jawi debate made some forget DAP's history' Chin Tong said DAP had even produced a Jawi publication.

Agong to meet anti-emergency group

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has agreed to meet the committee that is pushing for an end to the state of emergency declared by the Perikatan Nasional government. However, a date is yet to be set.

It was part of a multi-pronged effort to restore democracy. And in the High Court, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim failed to secure permission to challenge the prime minister’s advice to the ruler on the suspension of Parliament under the emergency.

On Tuesday, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad led a delegation to the gates of Istana Negara to seek an audience with the Agong on the emergency. Before entering the palace,  Mahathir told reporters that the Malays were upset with the rulers over the emergency.

Yesterday, an NGO lodged a police report against him for the comment.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin defended the emergency, stating that it had allowed the government to better handle the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce infections.

Meanwhile, Kelantan recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic as hospitals in the state hit capacity.

Two education institutions in Kelantan and Johor were also put under lockdown amid Covid-19 outbreaks among students.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Australia denies lobbying Dr M to drop Lynas conditions High commissioner says to get facts right.
	Penang Zakat clarifies controversy involving MP Batu Kawan MP took heat for involvement with zakat.
	KLSCAH: History textbook neglects non-Malay contributions They say all communities should be recognised.

Spending future funds

Criticism mounted against Putrajaya for tapping the National Trust Fund for the purchase of vaccines, without Parliament’s approval.

Klang MP Charles Santiago asked why this was necessary and what had happened to the RM3 billion allocated for the purchase of vaccines under Budget 2021.

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng said the financial strategy showed incompetence on Putrajaya’s part as it was cheaper to borrow under the current low-interest-rate environment.

The National Trust Fund accumulated over the decades was mainly from contributions by Petronas, intended for the future development of the country. It had RM17.4 billion as of 2018.

Meanwhile, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed Putrajaya was stalling efforts by state governments and the private sector to procure their own Covid-19 vaccines.

The salvo was a friendly fire against ministers from his own party - Khairy Jamaluddin and Dr Adham Baba - who are overseeing the vaccination process.

Both are aligned against Zahid. Umno is set for a showdown as its supreme council will meet on Sunday.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Nurul Izzah: Don't enable anti-vaxxers She says this is even if the vaccine rollout deserves criticism.
	US advises citizens not to travel to Malaysia, and most of the world This is as Covid-19 vaccination accelerates in the US.
	Govt targets mineral industry to contribute RM29b in GDP by 2030 Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also emphasised sustainability.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 2,875 new cases yesterday (April 22), the highest number of new infections following a resurgence of the virus early this month.
  
  
• Kelantan, with 662 cases, is the highest ever for the state since the start of the pandemic in January last year.
  
  
• The Health Ministry revised its estimation of daily Covid-19 cases upwards, predicting around 3,300 infections by Hari Raya, up from the 2,000 range, if people do not comply with the SOPs against Covid-19.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• Putrajaya finally agreed to extend the land lease for the historically significant SMK Convent Bukit Nanas by 60 years after an outcry at the initial refusal to grant an extension. The lease expires on Sept 6.
  
  
• A man and his accomplice who allegedly assaulted and threatened his bodyguards with a pistol for fasting pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
  
  
• The government announced an RM500 aid for civil servants with a rank of Grade 56 and below for Hari Raya.
  
  
• The Court of Appeal will deliver its decision at a later date on Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor's appeal against his 12 months' jail sentence and RM2 million fine for corruption.
  
  

• Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia (PR1MA) said it was committed to completing all of its affordable housing projects on schedule amid complaints that it had been splurging on events while buyers are left in limbo.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Amidst ranking drop, govt guarantees media freedom Malaysia slipped 19 places in the press freedom index.
	'Dr M made Icerd pledge on Saifuddin's recommendation' This was despite Saifuddin disclaiming responsibility.
	'Claim of biased judge in Najib's SRC case totally unwarranted' The prosecution says there was no miscarriage of justice.

What are people saying?

	New safety net for domestic workers a giant leap forward By Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor
	What is Bangsa Malaysia? By S Thayaparan
	Stop finding excuses to justify spike in Covid numbers By Malaysiakini readers

CARTOON KINI