Time-travelling durian feast?

Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon is in a thorny situation after being caught on camera allegedly flouting lockdown SOPs by attending a durian feast in his constituency, Batu Pahat.

Rashid denies the event was recent, claiming it was held last year before the movement control order.

However, photos of Rashid's activities on Sunday (June 27) show that at least two others were at both an official event he attended that day, and the durian feast - wearing exactly the same outfits.

There's also the question of masks hanging off people's faces. Masks were not commonplace prior to the first MCO.

Local Government and Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin confirmed that she had received durians after attending an official function with Rashid on Sunday. However, she denied attending a durian feast.

Police are investigating the matter.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Police quiz Mustapa over dine-in session Cops say probe into SOP violation completed.
	Sabah told to follow NSC's SOPs This is after Sabah wanted to allow dine-in.
	Govt in-person service counters re-open on July 1 This is for services that can't be conducted online.

Agong says it again

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong reiterated his view that Parliament should reconvene "as soon as possible" after meeting with the speakers and deputy speakers of the Upper and Lower Houses.

The Agong wants emergency proclamations and emergency ordinances to be debated as per Article 150 (3) of the Federal Constitution.

The article states that both the proclamations and ordinances can be revoked if Parliament chooses to do so.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim interpreted this as a signal that the king wanted Parliament to convene before the emergency expires on Aug 1.

Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and Senate president Rais Yatim have said that a hybrid Parliament can only be held by late August, with an earlier special session to approve amendments to facilitate a hybrid sitting.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Zahid's Umno presidency extended This is after the party polls were suspended for 18 months.
	GDP to be revised down following latest MCO The economy is hurt by the stalled Recovery Plan.
	M'sia drops 35 spots Covid resilience ranking M'sia fell from 16th to 51st out of 53 countries.

White flags for help

There is a rising grassroots campaign urging those struggling to put food on the table to put up a white flag outside their houses. The flag is meant to signal to others to provide urgent help.

However, the #benderaputih campaign is being hijacked by politicians.

Local Government and Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin voiced her support for the campaign, saying people should not be afraid to signal for help.

Meanwhile, Amanah is planning to put up white flags to pressure the Perikatan Nasional government to resign.

On the other hand, PAS leader Nik Abduh Nik Aziz said the people should pray to God when faced with challenges, instead of raising a white flag.

HIGHLIGHTS

	'How do you decide who gets to eat for a week?' A refugee aid distributor is forced to make heartbreaking choices.
	Millions have less than RM5,000 in their EPF account Almost four million not qualified for i-Citra withdrawal scheme.
	'Don't stigmatise suicide as mental illness' Perak deputy mufti urges society to be more attentive.

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 6,437 new cases yesterday (June 29) - new cases increase instead of falling despite the lockdown.
  
  
• There were 107 deaths, the fifth time fatalities have entered triple digits.
  
  
• Kuala Lumpur reported 1,361 new Covid-19 cases, the highest for the federal territory since the start of the pandemic.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

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What else is happening?

• Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the six-month moratorium is not interest-free, but that he has asked banks to waive compounded interests.
  
  
• Malaysiakini explains what the planned strike by contract medical officers in the public health sector is all about.
  
  
• Police will reapply for an Interpol red notice against a Malaysian in Germany wanted for alleged sedition, despite the request being rejected due to Interpol's non-intervention in "political, military, religious or racial" matters.
  
  
• A lawyer wants a post-mortem carried out to determine the cause of death of a school van driver who was placed in Sungai Buloh Prison for nine months, pending a murder trial.
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Selangor to get over 4 million vaccine doses in July The target is to use 3.8 million doses in a month.
	Do China Covid-19 shots work against Delta variant? Sinovac claims a three-fold reduction in its effectiveness.
	IOI faces labour abuse allegations in new report Workers face poor living conditions, says Finnwatch.

 

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What are people saying?

	Will the Pemulih package restore recovery? By Paolo Casadio, Geoffrey Williams
	Band-aid relief without recovery? By Bridget Welsh
	Integrity, grief and 'kita jaga kita' Sitpah Selvaratnam