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


Key Highlights

  • Mahathir vs Tony Pua

  • D-Day for Najib

  • Liquor licence U-turn



Mahathir vs Tony Pua

The forthcoming launch of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's latest memoir 'Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia' sparked a public argument between the former prime minister and Damansara MP Tony Pua.

Mahathir had in the memoir accused an aide to former finance minister Lim Guan Eng of threatening a property developer.

While he did not name the aide, it was an apparent reference to Pua, who was Lim's political secretary at the time.

Pua went public about the incident, revealing that it involved the Tun Razak Exchange project, a 1MDB legacy, and Mulia International Group, the ultimate owner of which is Indonesian fugitive Djoko Tjandra.

The DAP leader said he was proud to protect the interest of Malaysian taxpayers and expressed regret at Mahathir's soft spot for "big business bosses", including convicted ones.

Pua's boss Lim also defended him, stating that Mahathir had "faulty memory" and was being unfair.

Mahathir, however, doubled down, calling Pua "arrogant".



HIGHLIGHTS

Sanusi 'most uncivilised' of all MBs: Puad
Umno man describes Kedah MB as 'lok lak' .
Pejuang not forming political pact for now - Dr M
It will only work with those who combat corruption.
Azmin denies bringing his family on a Europe trip
The matter was raised by RSN Rayer.




D-day for Najib

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak will know today if he is successful in overturning his 12-year-jail sentence over the alleged misappropriation of state-owned SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

Najib had sought to submit "new evidence" to the Court of Appeal ahead of the decision but the court ruled that it did not fulfil the criteria of being relevant and previously inaccessible during the trial.

The hearing yesterday was not without drama as the court issued a stern warning after Najib initially failed to turn up.

His lawyers said Najib couldn't show up as he had been in close contact with a Covid-19 patient but they were reprimanded by the court, which said evidence must be provided.

They then ordered Najib to appear virtually or face arrest, which the Pekan MP complied with.

Previously, Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor, who is facing a separate corruption case, also failed to turn up in court, prompting the prosecution to seek her arrest. The court, however, accepted her lawyer's explanation.


HIGHLIGHTS

'Give daddy strength' - Najib's daughter
The court will deliver its verdict today.
Paul Yong ordered to enter defence in rape case
Prima facie case proven.
Law firm senior partner denies sexual harassment claims
He calls a lawsuit against him an abuse.




Liquor licence U-turn

The government has aborted its plan requiring coffee shops to pay between RM840 and RM1,320 for a licence to sell liquor to customers.

This was after MCA president Wee Ka Siong intervened by reaching out to Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz who agreed he would ask the Customs Department to cancel the new policy.

MCA has had to intervene in a number of issues related to minority communities recently, including the dropping of Chinese characters from the name signboards of Chinese schools.

Prior to the announcement, Sarawak had indicated that it won't comply with the liquor licensing condition for coffee shops.

Many businesses had said if the licensing condition proceeded, they would stop selling liquor as the cost was not worth the sales.



HIGHLIGHTS

Anwar questions PM's 'slow action' on cost of living
PM to meet the cost of living committee on Dec 9.
Better response found from mixing Covid-19 vaccines - study
Study mixes first dose of Pfizer, AstraZeneca with Moderna.
PKR lawmaker says Sabah given 'crumbs'
Christina Liew demands a larger share for the state.

 


A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 4,262 new cases yesterday (Dec 7).

  • The national Covid-19 infectivity rate is slowly inching upwards again, climbing from 0.95 on Nov 29 to 0.99 on Dec 6. It must be kept under 1.0 to prevent an exponential spread of the disease.

  • The national hospitalisation rate remains under control, declining by four percent in the last seven days. Terengganu (84 percent), Kedah (78 percent) and Kelantan (77 percent) have the highest hospital bed utilisation rate although they remain under control.



What else is happening?

  • The National Unity Ministry said Thaipusam processions won't be allowed in January next year as part of the standard operating procedures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

  • The Department of Environment rejected a bauxite mining project led by the Pahang government in Kuantan.

  • Malaysia and Indonesia are expected to ink a memorandum of understanding in January next year for the recruitment of domestic workers that has been suspended.


HIGHLIGHTS

Govt to decide on 5G rollout model by Jan 2022
This was amid telco firms' reluctance.
PM launches foreign policy framework
It identifies emerging global trends and issues.
Witness admits contradictions in Bung Moktar case
This was over an RM3.5mil 'commission'.

 


What are people saying?

Deforestation that is taking place in Malaysia today
By Anas Abdul Malik
M'sia should explore railway VTL to S'pore
By Paul Lim Pau Hua
No absentee voting for S'wak diaspora shows Malayan-centrism
By Wilfred Madius Tangau

 


CARTOON KINI