Good morning, here's a quick rundown of what happened over the weekend.

Key Highlights

• Umno triggers Johor polls
  
  

• #TangkapAzamBaki protest
  
  

• Teachers in politics
  
  

Umno triggers Johor polls

Umno triggered snap polls in Johor even though there was no threat to the BN-PN state government's hold on power.

The Johor government only has a one-seat majority but the opposition had promised not to threaten the stability of the state government amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad justified the snap polls by stating that the state government cannot function based on the opposition's goodwill.

Strategically, it is seen as Umno's attempt to oust PN so that BN can govern Johor alone. Hasni has indicated BN may go solo in the Johor polls.

Bersatu described the snap polls as a unilateral decision by Umno and accused the "court cluster" in Umno - the leaders facing graft cases - of perpetrating the snap election to consolidate their positions.

It is the most serious threat yet that Umno is posing towards Bersatu, the anchor in PN, because Johor is Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin's home state. Muhyiddin is now organising efforts for the snap polls.

The opposition is also facing internal problems. Amanah is pushing for a united opposition coalition, including incorporating Muda, in the snap polls. In the past, PKR has been reluctant.

Muda's strategic partner, the Sabah-based Warisan, has not revealed if it will participate in the Johor polls but the party has been expanding its influence in Peninsular Malaysia.

This includes recruiting prominent former DAP leaders including, former MP Jeff Ooi, former Penang executive councillor Danny Law and also Teratai assemblyperson Bryan Lai, who quit DAP last year.

Two Sabah DAP assemblypersons and a former senator also quit the party and are speculated to be joining Warisan.

Meanwhile, another opposition party, Pejuang, is expected to go solo in the Johor polls and is eyeing to contest in 42 seats.

The election must be called within 60 days from the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly last Saturday. It is widely speculated to take place shortly after the Chinese New Year next month.

The Election Commission is expected to announce a date soon.

HIGHLIGHTS

	ROS rejects Parti Sains' registration attempt No reason was given.
	Muda no one-man show, Syed Saddiq no puppet - leaders They talk about his relationship with Dr M.
	K'tan Umno terminates Muafakat ties with PAS PAS, however, wants the status quo.

#TangkapAzamBaki protest

Police pulled all the stops to block the #TangkapAzamBaki protest last Saturday.

This included closing roads in Kuala Lumpur, halting train service near the protest gathering points along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and obtaining a court order to stop protesters from converging there.

To get around the court order, protest organisers relocated the demonstration to Bangsar where some 200 people showed up under heavy police presence. Check out our live report of the protest here.

Cops diverted traffic away from Bangsar but did not shut down the Bangsar LRT station.

On the eve of the protest, Pakatan Harapan Youth had also organised a talk on the controversy surrounding MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki's shareholding. Police have since summoned the organisers for questioning.

Azam is under the spotlight for owning shares that peaked at a value of around RM700,000 in 2015. He claimed they were bought by his brother using his name.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Sivarasa claims MACC reprisal He calls it a vendetta.
	MP: SC must clarify if probe on Azam Baki referred to AGC MP questions contradictory statements.
	Pahang govt wants reps to prove Bentong logging claim 'That's what they claim. Don't listen to them'.

Teachers in politics

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob made a surprise announcement that teachers can now get involved in politics, a departure from a long-standing policy that prevented teachers from participating actively in politics.

Former minister Rafidah Aziz warned that the move will bring partisanship into schools and erode the education system.

A sceptical opposition speculated that the move is aimed to bolster Umno's grassroots.

During Umno's founding days, teachers played a pivotal role in the party's rise. Their role only diminished with the rise of business elites in the party.

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) urged the government to issue clear guidelines for teachers on political participation and expressed hope they won't be used as political tools.

Amid the criticism, Ismail Sabri reminded teachers that their involvement in politics should not come at the expense of their core duties.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Patient seeks second opinion after suspected vaccine injury Her fingers risk amputation.
	Court strikes suit over son's death from falling chair The suit was against DBKL, FT Ministry and govt.
	RM1.5bil project in Cameron Highlands Residents asked for feedback.

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 3,856 new cases yesterday (Jan 23).
  
  
• The infectivity rate jumped from 1.0 to 1.07. A sustained value above 1.0 will lead to exponential growth in fresh infections.
  

New cases by state

Selangor (1,063)
Johor (524)
Kuala Lumpur (379)
Kedah (289)
Pahang (264)
Negeri Sembilan (258)
Kelantan (223)
Penang (206)
Malacca (201)
Sabah (172)
Perak (159)
Terengganu (56)
Putrajaya (25)
Sarawak (14)
Perlis (13)
Labuan (10)

What else is happening?

• Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for the third time in a month. His family said his condition has stabilised and he is now interacting with them.
  
  
• Ex-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in backing his claim of judicial interference by the "court cluster", alleged that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had sought his help to drop Gopal Sri Ram as the lead prosecutor in an ongoing criminal case.
  
  
• The DAP will hold its party election on March 20, which will see Lim Guan Eng relinquish his position as party secretary-general. Meanwhile, PKR will hold its party polls in April, the first after a major split in the party.
  
  
• Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will know today if he has a case to answer in the 47 charges of corruption, misappropriation and money laundering brought against him.
  
  
• International badminton players, including world number one Viktor Axelsen, criticised the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for banning two national shuttlers from participating in tournaments because they quit the association and wanted to train on their own. All England Open men's singles champion Lee Zii Jia changed his Facebook profile to black after the ban while Goh Jin Wei said it'll impact her livelihood.

HIGHLIGHTS

	How an epiphany turned Muna Noor into a nature advocate She believes we must speak up for forests, wildlife.
	Cambodia PM chides 'arrogant' M'sian minister Cambodia wants to engage with Myanmar.
	'PM's explanation of S'gor floods not meant as blame game'  Minister says it's for all parties to improve.

What are people saying?

	Orangutan has never tried to kill me in shopping mall By Zan Azlee
	Hundreds of youths spook Azam Baki and Ismail Sabri By S Thayaparan
	Do we need early elections amidst Omicron? By Wong Chin Huat