Good morning. Here's what you should know today.

Key Highlights

  • Civil service hullabaloo

  • Mahathir vs Mukhriz

  • No more road tax stickers


Civil service hullabaloo

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy caused a stir when he said that the civil service was in need of reform and that it was too dominated by Malays.

Allies from PKR and Amanah lashed out at the political veteran, while Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it should be dealt with internally by DAP.

Ramasamy has said that his statements were twisted, and should not be equated to "breaking the monopoly of the Malays".

HIGHLIGHTS


Mahathir vs Mukhriz

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has officially parted ways with Pejuang, the president of which is his son Mukhriz.

This comes two months after Mahathir resigned as chairperson of Pejuang, which he founded in 2020 after quitting Bersatu.

Mahathir argued that Pejuang had strayed from its original fight by quitting his Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition.

Mahathir is expected to meet with Muafakat Nasional NGO president Annuar Musa this week.

Both GTA and Pejuang suffered a humiliating wipeout in the 15th general election.

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No more road tax stickers

Effective Feb 10, motorists no longer need to display their road tax stickers.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said this move is part of efforts to go digital.

For most motorists, the road tax - and driving licence - can be accessed via an app but it is not necessary to download it

However, Loke said the country won't be abolishing the road tax as it is a major source of government revenue.

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Views that matter

By Mariam Mokhtar
By Zan Azlee
By R Nadeswaran


Other news that matter

  • BN appeared to sideline its Sabah chief Bung Moktar Radin in an attempt to mend ties with Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

  • The Election Court in Kuala Terengganu dismissed Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang’s preliminary objection to an election petition to annul the GE15 result for his seat.

  • Malaysia’s GDP growth rose to a 22-year record high of 8.7 percent in 2022 against 3.1 percent in the previous year.

HIGHLIGHTS