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

Key Highlights

  • Dragnet on HR Ministry widens

  • Johor Orang Asli reject sultanate land

  • Flight ticket brouhaha

Dragnet on HR Ministry widens

The MACC dragnet on the Human Resources Ministry widened with at least two senior aides to Minister V Sivakumar arrested.

Sivakumar himself has been questioned by the MACC on its probe into the migrant worker approvals.

He has reportedly suspended the two aides arrested and a third aide over the case.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged the public not to jump to conclusions, while Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this proved the government was serious about eradicating corruption.

Bersatu's associate wing, meanwhile, called on Sivakumar to go on leave.

HIGHLIGHTS

Subsidised cooking oil: Ministry official allegedly 'overspends' RM9m
Domestic Trade Ministry denies overspending on cooking oil subsidies
Cooking oil subsidies: Ministry official denies being probed by MACC

Johor Orang Asli reject sultanate land

A Johor Orang Asli group has remained firm in opposing a proposal to convert their lands into 'sultanate land'.

The Johor Network of Orang Asli Villages (JPOAJ) plans to submit an official letter of protest to the state government and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) soon.

On March 16, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar urged the Johor state government to classify all Orang Asli settlements and reserves in the state as sultanate land to avoid the land being misused.

JPOAJ, however, insists that Orang Asli lands remain gazetted under the Aboriginal Peoples Act.

HIGHLIGHTS

After victory over dam and loggers, Orang Asli activist takes on Putrajaya
How statelessness affects 'born and bred' Malaysians
PSM wants scheme for senior citizens without pension

Flight ticket brouhaha

Former transport minister Wee Ka Siong butted heads with his successor Anthony Loke over the price of flight tickets.

Wee had lamented how an "economy" flight ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sabah, on MAS costs RM3,138.

However, Loke retorted that the ticket was for business class and actually costs RM2,863.40.

Checks by Malaysiakini indicate that both are right, and that the exorbitant MAS ticket could be purchased at the price Wee stated on competitor airline AirAsia's website and is labelled as an “economy” ticket.

HIGHLIGHTS

‘DAP liability for Umno to regain Malay votes’
Pardon row: Puad claims Harapan leaders fear Najib's influence
Najib will not rejuvenate Umno - Kit Siang

Views that matter

The untold story about the Sam Ke Ting tragedy
By Mariam Mokhtar
GE15 generational voting: Looking beyond ethnicity Part 2
By Bridget Welsh
Unity govt: There's good reason to be distraught
By Dennis Ignatius

Other news that matter

  • Muda is still waiting for an answer from Pakatan Harapan on whether it can join the coalition.

  • Separately, Muda is seeking a court declaration that MACC has no authority to investigate the judge that heard former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s RM42 million SRC International corruption case.

  • Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail called on various stakeholders to assist government efforts in upholding children's rights in immigration detention and expediting their release from 19 depots nationwide.

  • The Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur ordered Sapura Energy Bhd to hand Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli documents regarding the company’s former CEO Shahril Shamsuddin.

    Rafizi is seeking the documents to strengthen his defence against Shahril's defamation suit over his alleged remuneration.

  • The Bangladesh High Commission lamented that Putrajaya’s approval process for the recruitment of migrant workers lacks transparency and resulted in migrant workers arriving in Malaysia being left unemployed.

HIGHLIGHTS

PAS MP: I raised Chinese new village issue over 'security concern'
'Skin colour' question not racist, meant for foreigners – Maran MP
MPs can file motion against Ismail if questions 'seditious': Deputy speaker