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


Key Highlights

  • Parliament and court cluster

  • Selangor U-turns on forest reserve

  • Klang Valley moves to Phase 2



Parliament and court cluster

Umno's Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan is the frontrunner to become the next Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker.

This was after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government nominated him as its sole candidate for the position.

The opposition can nominate its own candidate - but this person is not likely to succeed unless some government MPs break ranks.

DAP's Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar demanded that the prime minister explains why he is tapping someone from the "court cluster" to take up the position.

The court cluster refers to the group of Umno MPs standing trial for corruption following the collapse of the BN government, partly due to the 1MDB scandal.

Ahmad is facing trial for money laundering and giving a false statement to the MACC over RM2 million he received from then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak in 2013.

The court cluster is part of the 15 Umno MPs responsible for bringing down Ismail Sabri's predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin and they could do the same to Ismail Sabri - a reminder that he cannot sideline them - unless he secures a deal with the opposition.



HIGHLIGHTS

Najib meets PM to discuss economic recovery
Ismail Sabri says ex-PM will help the economy.
Zahid: Umno leaves Muhyiddin's appointment to PM's wisdom
'He has the constitutional power to do so.'
Court maintains Sri Ram in Najib’s 1MDB cases
Ex-PM fails to disqualify the ex-judge from the prosecution.

 



Selangor U-turns on forest reserve

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari announced that the state government will abort plans to develop part of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve after public backlash.

He said the excised area will also be re-gazetted.

The forest reserve was initially earmarked to be developed by a firm linked to the Selangor palace but was passed to a new developer linked to an Umno businessperson after intense public scrutiny.

The original development firm had since been dissolved and Selangor Crown Prince Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Idris Shah distanced himself from the project.

Meanwhile, Penang's plan to reclaim the southern part of the island hit a snag after local fishermen, who will be impacted, successfully challenged the environmental impact assessment (EIA).

The Department of Environment revoked the approval for the EIA on a technicality because the initial approval was done based on the Penang Structure Plan 2030 before it was actually gazetted.

The Penang government said it may seek a judicial review in court.



HIGHLIGHTS

Fourth dolphin stranded on Perlis beach
It happened in the span of four days.
Durian farmers granted leave in suit against Pahang govt
They can proceed with a judicial review.
'N Sembilan internal unrest due to positions, power, projects'
MB's aide claims some people are not benefitting.

 



Klang Valley moves to Phase 2

Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel freely between Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya beginning tomorrow (Sept 10).

This is as the Klang Valley moves into Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), which will see more businesses reopen, including hotels and homestays for fully vaccinated people. Social gatherings are still not allowed.

Among the businesses that will be allowed to reopen nationwide include cinemas, but the major players, Golden Screen Cinemas and TGC Cinemas, are holding back.

Even though they are allowed to reopen today, both said they will wait for the proper standard operating procedures (SOP) from the government before proceeding.

Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu, meanwhile, questioned the wisdom of allowing cinemas to reopen but not gyms - to which Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin promised to urgently come up with the SOPs for their reopening.



HIGHLIGHTS

Walk-in vaccinations in K Valley to end - Adham
It will cease on Sept 15.
Guan Eng under self-quarantine, trial postponed
He was in close contact with a Covid-19 patient.
Khairy: Pfizer jabs for K Valley adolescents soon
JKJAV greenlit the Covid-19 vaccination for the age group.

 


A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 19,733 new cases yesterday (Sept 8).

  • Selangor has sustained under 3,000 new cases for three consecutive days, indicating that the situation is improving for the state. Prior to this, the last time cases were under 3,000 was in early July.

  • However, Sarawak is worsening, sustaining above 3,000 new cases for four consecutive days. Prior to this, the state had never seen cases above 3,000. Meanwhile, Penang also hit a record high of 2,474.

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


What else is happening?

  • DAP Youth called on Pakatan Harapan to unite behind its common coalition logo after Federal Territories PKR tried to push for its own logo in the next general election.

  • The MACC's advisory board claimed the graft case against ex-Felda board member Noor Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrasid was dropped because it was handled unprofessionally and had political considerations.

  • The price of RON95 and diesel remains unchanged at RM2.05 and RM2.15 respectively, while RON97 will go up by one sen a litre to RM2.73 today.


HIGHLIGHTS

'Why govt didn't reveal Agong's position on confidence vote at start?'
DAP veteran compares reasons cited by law minister and AG.
Zahid's lawyer questions credibility of witness
The lawyer claims she was not a competent worker.
Guan Eng: Azhar listens to his brother but not the Agong
He claims they refused to follow Agong's decree.

 


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