Another royal rebuke
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Key Highlights
Another royal rebuke
Zuraida is the PBM chief-designate
Bersatu seeks new alignment
Another royal rebuke
De facto Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad received yet another royal rebuke after suggesting that Muslims should not attend the July 16 Japanese Bon Odori festival in Selangor.
Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said the minister should attend the event so he can learn to differentiate between religion and culture.
If you're not sure what's the Bon Odori festival, do check our Kiniguide.
In April, the Selangor ruler also took the PAS leader to task after Jakim, which is under Idris' ministerial portfolio, declared a branch of an Islamic school of thought as "deviant".
Islam falls under state jurisdiction with their monarch as the overseer. Religion does not fall under the federal government but Jakim, a federal agency, seeks to play a coordinating role.
Some states, however, have not taken kindly to Jakim dictating the religious narrative. For example, in 2017 Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar ordered the state religious authorities to stop dealing with Jakim.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | It’s been 40 years. |
 | Witness did not specify who the client was. |
 | The amendment involves a change of date. |
Zuraida is the PBM chief-designate
Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) formally accepted Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin who quit Bersatu.
PBM president Larry Sng declared Zuraida as the new president-designate and said the party will amend its constitution to allow for a smooth transition.
The move confirmed long-standing speculation that Zuraida was the mastermind behind PBM with an exodus of her supporters from Bersatu to PBM in the preceding months.
While Zuraida and Gombak MP Azmin Ali defected from PKR and Bersatu together, a rift developed between them on how to move forward amid complaints that they were sidelined in Bersatu.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | He says civil service's reputation is tarnished. |
 | It compromised food affordability. |
 | They say the land in Perak is needed to help tackle the food crisis. |
Bersatu seeks new alignment
Bersatu confirmed that it has given the mandate to party president Muhyiddin Yassin to seek a new political realignment to take on BN in the next 15th general election.
The major players that Muhyiddin can reach out to in the opposition are Pakatan Harapan and Warisan.
Ironically, an alliance with those parties would be similar to the Harapan Plus which won the 14th general election, the very coalition which Muhyiddin took down by pulling Bersatu out in 2020.
Reviving the old alliance would be difficult for the opposition to swallow as their supporters resent Muhyiddin and his allies for what they saw as a betrayal.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | ‘Recapturing Selangor will be difficult.’ |
 | Opposition's excuses expose their anxiety, he says. |
 | The man is a first-time voter in Skudai. |
What are people saying?
 | By P Gunasegaram |
 | By S Thayaparan |
 | By Malaysiakini readers |
What else is happening?
The anti-hopping bill, which was previously stalled due to, among others, Bersatu's objections to certain provisions, appears set to move forward next month after the party indicated it had no more issues with it.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed that Malaysia has detected its first cases of two Covid-19 Omicron subvariants which the World Health Organization said requires close scrutiny.
Police arrested a higher learning institution student over a baby dumping incident. The baby, put in a black plastic bag, survived.
HIGHLIGHTS
 | Dhavinder Singh pays tribute to the place he once called home. |
 | WTC KL, previously PWTC, is owned by Umno. |
 | It is to address shortages and price hikes. |
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