Good morning, here’s what you need to know today.
Key Highlights
Sparks fly ahead of PKR polls
Finance minister's future
Putrajaya-Harapan's MOU
Sparks fly ahead of PKR polls
The PKR election is not due until May but sparks are already flying.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, who is expected to contest the deputy president position and is seen as party president Anwar Ibrahim's favoured choice, took a dig at his rival Rafizi Ramli without naming him.
Saifuddin alluded to a leader who went on a hiatus when the party was at its lowest ebb due to a series of betrayals, in an apparent reference to Rafizi and the Sheraton Move.
Rafizi, who will also contest the deputy president position, had been critical of Anwar and his loyalists whom he said were dragging down the top leader.
Saifuddin stressed that the PKR polls cannot be delayed further as Anwar needed new lieutenants, pointing out that four out of the seven vice-presidents were inactive.
Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi had taken a step back while Xavier Jeyakumar and Zuraida Kamaruddin defected.
Another person to watch in the PKR polls will be PKR's former political secretary Farhash Wafa Salvador who will be challenging Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari as the Gombak division head.
Farhash's departure as Anwar's political secretary had fuelled speculations of a falling out, but Anwar denied sacking him and maintained their relationship remain good.
As for Amirudin, he has had a hard time proving his loyalty after ex-PKR deputy president Azmin Ali defected. Amirudin was Azmin's strongman.
Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah reminded PKR members that they are a family and must not allow their emotions to get the better of them.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | He adds voting must be based on rational thinking. |
 | This is to create balance between urban and rural areas. |
 | Kedah MB had proposed to allow export of ketum leaves. |
Finance minister's future
The government has had to deny for the second time in four days that Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had resigned as the finance minister.
Zafrul is believed to be upset at Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's decision to allow the fourth round of withdrawal from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
Zafrul had on various occasions strongly made the case against allowing further withdrawals, warning that it would hurt the fund's investments and cause many to retire in poverty.
Following Ismail's announcement, Zafrul was missing from Parliament last Thursday, prompting questions about his position.
The Finance Ministry had to issue a statement maintaining Zafrul was still in charge and his deputy Mohd Shahar Abdullah yesterday again reiterated that Zafrul had not resigned.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | Lawyer contends that Low had stolen money from 1MDB's precursor. |
 | Pua given some time to reply to Najib's 'thick explanation'. |
 | Nobody told me of this directive from Jho Low, adds Ismee Ismail. |
Putrajaya-Harapan's MOU
The government pushed back on DAP's warning that the party may seek to end the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Putrajaya if the government failed to meet the deadline on introducing an anti-hopping law.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa said the government won't bow to threats and maintained that a majority of items under the MOU had been implemented.
At the heart of the dispute is a provision that said the anti-hopping legislation must be introduced by the first meeting of the fifth Parliament session, which ends this Thursday.
The MOU sees the Harapan MPs pledging not to obstruct the government's legislative agenda in exchange for various institutional reforms.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | Both tested positive at the Parliament building today. |
 | ‘All good things must come to an end’ |
 | 'Rights should be given to women who choose to wear it.' |
A daily glance at Covid-19
17,828 new cases yesterday (March 21) brings the cumulative infections to 4,010,952.
63 new fatalities put the death toll at 34,463.
New cases by states
Selangor (6,941)
Kuala Lumpur (1,433)
Kedah (1,402)
Penang (1,310)
Johor (1,088)
Perak (1,015)
Sarawak (813)
Pahang (771)
Terengganu (738)
Kelantan (608)
Negeri Sembilan (595)
Malacca (422)
Sabah (416)
Perlis (104)
Putrajaya (100)
Labuan (72)
What else is happening?
Putrajaya introduced a constitutional amendment to exempt the Malay rulers, their spouses and heirs from being subjected to automatic voter registration.
Police officers nationwide had to resort to filing reports manually after their system was taken offline. Bukit Aman explained that the disruption was due to upgrades.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he is working out with the Election Commission to allow Covid-19 patients to vote, acknowledging that denying them the right was a contravention of the Federal Constitution.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | It happened at Jalan Klang Lama, KL. |
 | Witnesses say a 16-year-old boy assaulted the victim. |
 | Main suspect is the school's security guard with criminal records. |
What are people saying?
 | By S Thayaparan |
 | By Dr Steven Chow |
 | By Azalina Othman |
