Good morning. Here are the latest updates from Malaysiakini.
Key Highlights
Sedition: Crack down on Crackhouse
Indonesia hits the pause button on workers to M’sia
‘Big tent’ to spark excitement at PKR congress
Sedition: Crack down on Crackhouse
The comedy club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, made national headlines after a video depicting a Muslim woman removing her headscarf and stripping on stage went viral.
Instead of laughter, the act drew the ire of numerous quarters who accused her of insulting Islam.
The woman, Siti Nuramira Abdullah, was subsequently charged under Section 298A of the Penal Code with causing ill-will, disharmony and disunity, among others.
Her boyfriend, Alexander Navin Vijayachandran, was charged under the Communications and Multimedia Act for videos he uploaded.
Crackhouse also landed in trouble despite attempts to distance itself from the controversial performer.
Apart from being shuttered for not having an entertainment licence, its co-founder Rizal Van Geyzel has been arrested over jokes he made and is being probed for sedition.
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Indonesia hits the pause button on workers to M’sia
The Indonesian government is not pleased. Jakarta will impose a temporary freeze on workers entering Malaysia.
This is after Putrajaya allegedly breached the terms in a memorandum of understanding inked between the two countries on domestic workers three months ago.
The Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia confirmed that an official communique regarding this has been sent to Human Resources Minister M Saravanan.
Responding to this, the Human Resources Ministry said it will hold urgent discussions with the Home Ministry on the matter.
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‘Big tent’ to spark excitement at PKR congress
The inclusive approach to battling Umno and BN in the next general election remains a divisive issue for Pakatan Harapan. Some cannot stomach the idea of working with those who caused the downfall of the Harapan government.
In an interview with Malaysiakini, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said this issue is expected to create excitement at his party’s three-day congress, which kicks off today, Friday, July 15.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim himself conceded that working with Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Pejuang or Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu would be a hard sell given the negative sentiments of the grassroots towards these two parties.
To rub salt into the wound, it would also mean joining hands with Azmin Ali and his band of PKR defectors.
In a bid to cast some positive light on the possible cooperation, the opposition leader resorted to semantics.
Anwar said the term “big tent” was confusing and he preferred to look at it as “embracing strength”.
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Views that matter
 | By S Thayaparan. |
 | By Lim Kit Siang |
 | By P Ramasamy |
What else is happening?
The Paris Court of Appeal allowed the Malaysian government's application to stay the enforcement of the Final Award on claims by purported heirs and successors-in-interest to Sultan Jamalul Kiram II.
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik accused the media of misquoting his 2019 speech in Kelantan. He claimed that nobody had raised any objections during his speech.
DAP central executive committee member Tan Hong Pin wants the prime minister to appoint Malaysia’s new ambassador to Indonesia soon.
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