Good morning, here's what you need to know today.


Key Highlights

  • Surprise in Parliament

  • Setback for Zahid

  • Doctors bite the bullet



Surprise in Parliament

The first day of the special Parliament sitting yesterday was filled with drama, and saw Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun blowing his top as opposition MPs heckled him to allow the emergency ordinances to be voted on.

The MPs were stunned when the government revealed that it had already revoked the emergency ordinances on July 21 without going through Parliament, cancelling the need for any vote.

The surprise revocation, which according to the Federal Constitution was supposed to go through Parliament, has serious implications.

This is because the people, and even enforcement agencies, didn't know about revocation and the agencies had continued to issue fines and conduct arrests under the emergency ordinances.

De facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the emergency ordinances could no longer be applied from July 21.

Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim questioned how the government could issue a statement on the prime minister's diarrhoea but failed to inform the public on a critical decision such as this.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim slammed what he described as a "pasar malam-style" revocation.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting will continue today with more briefings, including by Health Minister Dr Adham Baba. No votes are expected amid the government's uncertain majority.



HIGHLIGHTS

Lawyer: PN removed itself from power by 'revoking' ordinances
He says the ordinances are what gave power to the govt.
PM: Stand in solidarity with govt to fight Covid-19
He wants the opposition on board.
Opposition livid as PM leaves after briefing
Winding up delegated to finance minister.

 



Setback for Zahid

The government's surprise announcement that the emergency ordinances have been revoked was also a setback for Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Expecting that the government would refuse a vote, Zahid had set the table to renew his effort to take Umno out of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

A day before the sitting, he had declared that all Umno ministers were to resign if the emergency ordinances were to remain.

None of the Umno ministers appeared to have informed him that the cabinet had revoked the emergency ordinances without going through Parliament days earlier.

Despite Zahid's declaration on July 8 that Umno was quitting the PN government, the party's MPs were still seated on the government bench.



HIGHLIGHTS

Azalina credits Zahid after emergency laws revoked
'This is the result of continued appeals by Umno'.
Syed Saddiq: PM's constituents turning to me for help
The PM's constituency neighbours Syed Saddiq's.
Remaining RM250k bail posted in Syed Saddiq's case
The former minister's bailor posted the bail.

 



Doctors bite the bullet

Hundreds of government contract doctors staged a walkout from public hospitals throughout the country despite various intimidation tactics by the authorities.

Most returned to their posts shortly after to fulfil their duty to patients.

However, the witch-hunt started at some of the hospitals, with show-cause letters being planned while others are being investigated by police.

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs), while disagreeing with the strike, urged the authorities not to punish the doctors for trying to make their voices heard.

The contract doctors are lobbying for, among others, permanent placements. Under the current system, they face joblessness after the end of their five-year training because the government can't afford to offer them permanent positions.



HIGHLIGHTS

Dr M: Govt engrossed with failed Covid-19 plans
He says gov't oblivious as cases hit 17k high.
Hisham to take over Covid-19 SOP oversight
DPM to hand the task over to him.
Workplace clusters record the highest number of Covid-19 cases
The manufacturing sector accounts for around half.



A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 14,516 new cases yesterday (July 26).

  • The country saw the highest number of people die in a day from Covid-19, at 207. This pushed the death toll to over 8,000.

  • The number of Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit also hit four figures for the first time, at 1,009. Likewise, the number of intubated patients is also at a record high of 524.

  • For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.


What else is happening?

  • The Malaysia Competition Commission has started investigating exorbitant commission fees charged by delivery service platforms.

  • In a change of strategy, the government is now asking Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms not to visit the Covid-19 Assessment Centres. Instead, they are to be monitored virtually.

  • The businessperson who sent a helicopter from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh to pick up nasi ganja was revealed to be KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (Latar) managing director Mohamed Raffe Chekku.

  • Activists protesting against the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic will proceed with their protest at Dataran Merdeka on July 31. Already, police have questioned some of the activists over a series of protest convoys.


HIGHLIGHTS

1MDB withdraws US$1b lawsuit against legal firm
The suit involves the firm Wong & Partners.
Dhaya Maju obtains court order against govt
This is so it won't be booted from the KVDT2 project site.
Altantuya's family should be allowed access to info - lawyer
They are seeking witness statements given to the police.

 


What are people saying?

Prepare for Delta wave of Covid-19 outside Klang Valley
By Dr Amar-Singh HSS
How do we spray 13,000 Covid-19 cases away?
By Fa Abdul
Long Covid affects work productivity
By Dr Moy Foong Ming

 


CARTOON KINI